Facet

How to spell facet

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce facet

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does facet mean?

1. nounOne particular part or aspect of something with many sides.
2. nounOne of the small flat polished surfaces cut into a gemstone.

Facet in a sentence

• The report examined every facet of the merger.

• The jeweller polished each facet of the diamond until it gleamed.

• Patience is just one facet of good leadership.

• Light scattered from every facet of the cut ruby.

Where does facet come from?

Language of origin: French

The word comes from the French facette, a diminutive of face meaning 'little face', which entered English in the early 1600s. French face itself descends from the Latin facies, which meant 'form', 'appearance', or 'face', the same root that gives us 'surface' and 'facade'. In French the term first described the small flat polished planes that a jeweller cuts onto a gemstone, each one a tiny 'face' catching the light. From that concrete gem-cutting sense English quickly extended the word to mean any one of the several sides or aspects of a subject or situation. The single 't' and the soft '-et' ending betray the French diminutive origin, which is worth remembering because writers sometimes wrongly double the consonant.

How the word is built

• facet (from French facette: little face) = face
• -et (diminutive suffix)