I do not understand the meaning of 'tangential' Please help

[cappy]

Hello, people of UsingEnglish. I am living in the UK trying to better my English. Some of my teachers say my English intermediate B1 level. Sorry for the introduction. I'm studying for the B2 level and I came across word 'tangential'. I've tried to figure out the meaning of the word, but I no understand. Please help.
Source: Vocabulary.com

"Tangential describes something that's not part of the whole. If you make a comment that is tangential to the story you're telling, it's a digression. The story could still be understood without it.

In geometry, a tangent is a line that touches a curve in one spot but doesn't intersect it anywhere else. Tangential means something that goes off in one direction that way and doesn't return. People can feel tangential — as though they're inessential and not relevant to a larger group"

I'm confused of word's meaning. Many meanings for this word like 'slightly connected or touching upon; incidental; peripheral' and 'superficially relevant; digressive or divergent' I want help please

 

[emsr2d2]

Before we continue, please correct your member profile. Under "Current Location", you have "United States", but your second sentence says you live in the UK at the moment.

 

[cappy]

Before we continue, please correct your member profile. Under "Current Location", you have "United States", but your second sentence says you live in the UK at the moment.

I just fixed profile. Sorry for the mistake.

 

[Rover_KE]

In what context did you encounter it, cappy? It's not a word you'll come across very often—probably no more frequently than you'll see tangentiel in French texts.

Click here to see how it's used in a variety of contexts, and bookmark the site for future reference.

 

[cappy]

Source: Oxford Dictionary. One of my English teachers recommended Oxford Dictionary. I was doing research on Oxford Dictionary a couple days ago. Word randomly showed up on the front of page. As one of website's 'Word of Day' things. I've been working so I haven't had the time to post.


Definition: in a way that has only a slight or indirect connection with something

• These two things are only tangentially related to each other.

 

[emsr2d2]

Source: Oxford Dictionary. One of my English teachers recommended Oxford Dictionary. I was doing research on Oxford Dictionary a couple days ago. Word randomly showed up on the front of page. As one of website's 'Word of Day' things. I've been working so I haven't had the time to post.


Definition: in a way that has only a slight or indirect connection with something

• These two things are only tangentially related to each other.

What part of the definition in red above do you not understand?

 

[cappy]

the part with 'slight or indirect connection with something'. When I saw the entry the first time I thought it meant familial relations. But my teacher said that is wrong. I try to figure out what it the slight or indirect connection part means, but maybe it's because I have low IQ, but I don't have good grasp of this definition

 

[emsr2d2]

Have you looked up the word "relation" to see if it has another meaning that doesn't have anything to do with familial relations?

 

[cappy]

Source: lexico

Sense 1 of Relation

"the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected; a thing's effect on or relevance to another "

 

[emsr2d2]

Source: lexico

Sense 1 of Relation

"the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected; a thing's effect on or relevance to another "

And what don't you understand about that definition?

 

[SoothingDave]

Let's say you ask a politician about the high prices today for filling up your car with gasoline.

He responds by talking about the great things he's doing for the car manufacturing industry.

He's taken one word in your question and "gone off on a tangent" to give an answer that he thinks makes himself look good.

His answer has only a tangential connection to the question asked.