- any of the surfaces of a cut gemstone
- an aspect or phase, as of a subject or personality
- (transitive) to cut facets in (a gemstone)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fac•et /ˈfæsɪt/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Jewelryone of the small polished flat surfaces of a gem.
- aspect;
side;
part:She was involved in all facets of the business.
fac•et
(fas′it),USA pronunciation n., v., -et•ed, -et•ing or (esp. Brit.) -et•ted, -et•ting.
n.
v.t.
n.
- Jewelryone of the small, polished plane surfaces of a cut gem.
- Geologya 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. - Architectureany of the faces of a column cut in a polygonal form.
- Zoologyone of the corneal lenses of a compound arthropod eye.
- Anatomya small, smooth, flat area on a hard surface, esp. on a bone.
- Dentistrya small, highly burnished area, usually on the enamel surface of a tooth, produced by abrasion between opposing teeth in chewing.
v.t.
- to cut facets on.
- French facette little face. See face, -et
- 1615–25
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
facet /ˈfæsɪt/ n
'facet' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aspect
- cut glass
- table
- combining form
- einkanter
- facet joint
- lock
- override
- phase
- star
- star facet