sine

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun ratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sinus (“curve, bend; bosom”), a translation of Arabic جَيْب (jayb, “bosom”), a misidentification of the notation جيب (j-y-b), written without vowel diacritics, standing for Arabic جِيبَ (jība, “sine”), in turn from Sanskrit ज्या (jyā, “sine, chord, bowstring”) through the similar Sanskrit जीव (jīva, “sine, chord, life, existence”). Doublet of sinus.

In classic literature

Synonyms

sin

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