[fas-it] 
noun, verb, -et⋅ed, -et⋅ing or (especially British
) -et⋅ted, -et⋅ting.| 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, esp. 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. |
| 8. | to cut facets on. |
| fac·et (fās'ĭt) n.
[French facette, from Old French, diminutive of face, face; see face.] fac'et·ed, fac'et·ted adj. |
facet fac·et (fās'ĭt)
n.
A small smooth area on a bone or other firm structure.
A worn spot on a tooth, produced by chewing or grinding.
facet
flat, polished surface on a cut gemstone, usually with three or four sides. The widest part of a faceted stone is the girdle; the girdle lies on a plane that separates the crown, the stone's upper portion, from the pavilion, the stone's base. The large facet in the crown parallel to the girdle is the table; the very small one in the pavilion also parallel to the girdle is the culet. Certain stones, such as mogul cut diamonds (egg-shaped jewels faceted without regard for symmetry or brilliancy) or drop cut stones, have neither a girdle, a crown, nor a pavilion. In others, the crown and the pavilion are identical-e.g., in baguette cut stones.
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