facet

[ fas-it ]

/ ˈfæs ɪt /

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See synonyms for: facet / faceted / faceting / facets on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of the small, polished plane surfaces of a cut gem.

a similar surface cut on a fragment of rock by the action of water, windblown sand, etc.

aspect; phase: They carefully examined every facet of the argument.

Architecture. any of the faces of a column cut in a polygonal form.

Zoology. one of the corneal lenses of a compound arthropod eye.

Anatomy. a small, smooth, flat area on a hard surface, especially on a bone.

Dentistry. a small, highly burnished area, usually on the enamel surface of a tooth, produced by abrasion between opposing teeth in chewing.

verb (used with object), fac·et·ed, fac·et·ing or (especially British) fac·et·ted, fac·et·ting.

to cut facets on.

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Origin of facet

First recorded in 1615–25, facet is from the French word facette little face. See face, -et

OTHER WORDS FROM facet

un·fac·et·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use facet in a sentence

The way they take a subject and look at it from numerous angles, uncovering meaning in every facet, is so inspiring and motivating.
Podcast recommendations for a better life and career from Fortune’s 40 under 40|Aric Jenkins|September 5, 2020|Fortune
I chose them to learn every facet of my own business so that when I started my own business, I didn’t need to hire anyone for the first few years.
Tan France Goes Deep on Racism and When He Almost Quit ‘Queer Eye’|Eugene Robinson|September 3, 2020|Ozy
An unusually disruptive year, 2020 has seen every facet of the way we live, and think for that matter, upended.
‘We really don’t know’: How the continued uncertainty is shaking up the usual fall ad marketplace|Kristina Monllos|August 31, 2020|Digiday
The force driving each of these cases is machismo, an attitude ingrained in nearly every facet of Colombian society.
How men in Latin America are unlearning machismo|Victoria Stunt|July 9, 2020|Quartz

Watson Advertising offers marketers and agencies a suite of media, data, and AI technology solutions to help improve decision-making and reduce costs across key facets of the marketing lifecycle – from media planning through measurement.
ClickZ AI Summit 2020: Where industry experts bridge the knowledge gap|Kamaljeet Kalsi|June 15, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The religion shaped all facets of life: art, medicine, literature, and even dynastic politics.
The Buddhist Business of Poaching Animals for Good Karma|Brendon Hong|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Luqman explained that they represented the sun shining down on Earth, facets mimicking rays of light.
Fighting Back With Faith: Inside the Yezidis’ Iraqi Temple|Michael Luongo|August 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This chicken features a thin, abundant crust with so many facets and angles you want to call it rococo.
Charlottesville Is Swimming in Finger Lickin’ Gas Station Fried Chicken|Jane & Michael Stern|May 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This warped ideology, Bayor argues, trickled down into all facets of American immigration policy.
Ellis Island’s Doubled-Edged Legacy|J.P. O’Malley|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pangea is all about the cultural and social facets of particular peoples and places.
Saatchi Resurrects Ancient Pangaea with Show Featuring South American and African Artists|Chloë Ashby|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It had two pilasters of stone cut in facets, and the coping represented a reclining woman holding a cornucopia.
Catherine de' Medici|Honore de Balzac
At Sixty-first Street he halted before the revolving facets of the entrance to Costellos.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
Aladdin's Cave it was dubbed—a truly magical world of glassy facets and scintillating crystals.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
A ray for every invisible atom that dances in the air—for the million million changing facets of the million ocean waves.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
When broken it exhibits large shining facets, in a variety of positions.
Heads of Lectures on a Course of Experimental Philosophy: Particularly Including Chemistry|Joseph Priestley

British Dictionary definitions for facet

facet

/ (ˈfæsɪt) /

noun

any of the surfaces of a cut gemstone

an aspect or phase, as of a subject or personality

architect the raised surface between the flutes of a column

any of the lenses that make up the compound eye of an insect or other arthropod

anatomy any small smooth area on a hard surface, as on a bone

verb -ets, -eting, -eted, -ets, -etting or -etted

(tr) to cut facets in (a gemstone)

Word Origin for facet

C17: from French facette a little face

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for facet

facet

[ făs′ĭt ]

A small smooth area on a bone or other firm structure.

A worn spot on a tooth, produced by chewing or grinding.

facet

Origin of facet

OTHER WORDS FROM facet

Words related to facet

How to use facet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for facet

Word Origin for facet

Medical definitions for facet