tangential

adj

1. Referring to a tangent, moving at a tangent to something.

   “The meteor came in on a tangential orbit and exploded about 8 or 10 miles above the earth's surface, just south of the Arctic Circle.”

   “A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place. Applying a force tangential to the knob is essentially equivalent to applying one perpendicular to a radial line defining the lever.”

2. Merely touching, positioned as a tangent.

   “The archoplasm divides and forms a very large spindle which first lies tangential to the surface of the nucleus.”

3. Only indirectly related.

   “That subject is tangential to our discussion, and we cannot let it distract us.”