Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

facet

[fas-it]
See more synonyms for facet on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. one of the small, polished plane surfaces of a cut gem.
  2. a similar surface cut on a fragment of rock by the action of water, windblown sand, etc.
  3. aspect; phase: They carefully examined every facet of the argument.
  4. Architecture. any of the faces of a column cut in a polygonal form.
  5. Zoology. one of the corneal lenses of a compound arthropod eye.
  6. Anatomy. a small, smooth, flat area on a hard surface, especially on a bone.
  7. Dentistry. a small, highly burnished area, usually on the enamel surface of a tooth, produced by abrasion between opposing teeth in chewing.
Show More
verb (used with object), fac·et·ed, fac·et·ing or (especially British) fac·et·ted, fac·et·ting.
  1. to cut facets on.
Show More

Origin of facet

First recorded in 1615–25, facet is from the French word facette little face. See face, -et
Related formsun·fac·et·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for facets

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Ideally, education addresses all the facets of the human being.

  • She held it raised so for a moment, watching the play of light from the facets.

    Flamsted quarries

    Mary E. Waller

  • He moved the finger so that the light flashed from the facets of the stone.

    In Pawn

    Ellis Parker Butler

  • There was a lake on the facets of whose ripples the sunlight danced.

  • Template or TimpletOne of the four facets that surround a cut gem.

    Time Telling through the Ages

    Harry Chase Brearley

British Dictionary definitions for facets

facet

noun
  1. any of the surfaces of a cut gemstone
  2. an aspect or phase, as of a subject or personality
  3. architect the raised surface between the flutes of a column
  4. any of the lenses that make up the compound eye of an insect or other arthropod
  5. anatomy any small smooth area on a hard surface, as on a bone
Show More
verb -ets, -eting, -eted, -ets, -etting or -etted
  1. (tr) to cut facets in (a gemstone)
Show More

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for facets

facet

n.

1620s, from French facette (12c., Old French facete), diminutive of face (see face (n.)). The diamond-cutting sense is the original one. Related: Faceted; facets.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
facets in Medicine

facet

(făs′ĭt)
n.
  1. A small smooth area on a bone or other firm structure.
  2. A worn spot on a tooth, produced by chewing or grinding.
Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.