sine

• POS: Noun, Preposition

CIDE DICTIONARY

sine, n. [LL. sinus a sine, L. sinus bosom, used in translating the Ar. jaib, properly, bosom, but probably read by mistake (the consonants being the same) for an original jība sine, from Skr. jīva bowstring, chord of an arc, sine.].

 The length of a perpendicular drawn from one extremity of an arc of a circle to the diameter drawn through the other extremity.  [1913 Webster]

Artificial sines, logarithms of the natural sines, or logarithmic sines. -- Curve of sines. See Sinusoid. -- Natural sines, the decimals expressing the values of the sines, the radius being unity. -- Sine of an angle, in a circle whose radius is unity, the sine of the arc that measures the angle; in a right-angled triangle, the side opposite the given angle divided by the hypotenuse. See Trigonometrical function, under Function. -- Versed sine, that part of the diameter between the sine and the arc.

sine, prep. [L.].

 Without.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

sine, n. Math.
1 the trigonometric function that is equal to the ratio of the side opposite a given angle (in a right-angled triangle) to the hypotenuse.
2 a function of the line drawn from one end of an arc perpendicularly to the radius through the other.

Idiom

sine curve (or wave) a curve representing periodic oscillations of constant amplitude as given by a sine function: also called SINUSOID.

Etymology

L sinus curve, fold of a toga, used in med.L as transl. of Arab. jayb bosom, sine