Question

the latin root tactus is part of the word tangent. what does the word tangent mean?
the formal gardens were designed so that each large, circular flower bed had its own tangent gravel path.
leading traveling winding touching

Explanation:

The Latin root "tactus" relates to touching (from "tangere" meaning to touch). In the context of a circular flower bed, a tangent path would touch the circle at one point. Among the options, "touching" matches the meaning of tangent (in geometry, a tangent touches a curve at one point, and here the path touches the circular flower bed). "Leading", "traveling", and "winding" don't align with the root's meaning or the geometric/contextual sense.

Answer:

touching