A tangent segment is a segment with one endpoint at the point

of tangency and its other endpoint somewhere on the tangent

line. A tangent segment is also perpendicular to the radius of
the circle whose endpoint is the point of tangency.

Suppose ΓΓ is a circle centered at OO. Let ℓℓ be a line tangent to ΓΓ at a

point AA. Suppose the line from OO perpendicular to ℓℓ meets ℓℓ at a
point BB. If B≠AB≠A, then there exists a point CC on ℓℓ on the other side
of BB from AA such that AB≅BCAB≅BC. (This follows from Hilbert's
first axiom of congruence for line segments.)

By the side-angle-side theorem, △OBA≅△OBC△OBA≅△OBC, and

thus OA≅OCOA≅OC. Thus C∈ΓC∈Γ. But C≠AC≠A, a contradiction, since
the tangent line ℓℓ can only meet ΓΓ at one point by definition of
tangency. Thus B=AB=A. Thus ℓ⊥OAℓ⊥OA.