facet

C2+ Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈfæsɪt/ UK /ˈfæsɪt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
one of the flat surfaces of a cut gem, or a distinct aspect of something

Each facet of the diamond caught the light differently.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · one of the flat surfaces of... aspect feature side angle element surface plane dimension

Word family

Forms faceted

Derived forms faceted

Related forms face facade facial

Etymology

From French facette ('little face'), diminutive of face, from Vulgar Latin facia, from Latin facies ('face, form, appearance').

facette French facies Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# facet

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈfæsɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈfæsɪt/

## Meanings
1. one of the flat surfaces of a cut gem, or a distinct aspect of something

## Examples
- Each facet of the diamond caught the light differently.

## Synonyms
- aspect
- feature
- side
- angle
- element
- surface
- plane
- dimension

## Derived Forms
- faceted

## Related Forms
- face
- facade
- facial

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: facette
- Root: facies

## Etymology
From French facette ('little face'), diminutive of face, from Vulgar Latin facia, from Latin facies ('face, form, appearance').

## AI Etymology
Facet comes from French facette ('little face'), diminutive of face, from Vulgar Latin facia, from Latin facies ('face, form, appearance'). The development is chiefly a borrowing or learned continuation, carrying an older form and meaning into English rather than building the word from a purely native base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "one of the flat surfaces of a cut gem, or a distinct aspect of something", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes derivatives such as faceted and related forms such as face, facade, and facial, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include French facette and Latin facies, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood includes aspect, feature, side, and angle, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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