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Definition of cosine

cosine

/ˈkoʊsaɪn/
co · sine
Plural:cosines
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cosine Lexical Profile

cosine Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A trigonometric function that, for a given acute angle in a right-angled triangle, equals the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse.

Example

"To find the horizontal component of the force, the physics students multiplied the vector's magnitude by the cosine of the angle."

• Rhymes for cosine

• Nearby Words

cosign
cosignatory
cosigner
cosine
cosmetic
cosmetically
cosmetician

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the early 17th century by English mathematician Edmund Gunter as the Neo-Latin 'cosinus', a contraction of 'complementi sinus' (meaning 'sine of the complement').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cosine. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cosine
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