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n.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. Archit. any of the faces of a column cut in a polygonal form.5. Zool. one of the corneal lenses of a compound arthropod eye.6. Anat. 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.v.t.8. to cut facets on.[1615-25; < F facette little face. See FACE, -ET]
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▪ gemflat, 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.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
