Definition of "facet" [fac•et]

• One of the flat polished surfaces cut on a gemstone or occurring naturally on a crystal. (noun)
• Anatomy A small, smooth, flat surface, as on a bone or tooth. (noun)
• Biology One of the lenslike visual units of a compound eye, as of an insect. (noun)
• One of numerous aspects, as of a subject. See Synonyms at phase. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Teaching-track positions are one way this facet is being addressed, although too few institutions are embracing this, so far."
• "Another facet is the continual proliferation of attempts at phishing and identity theft."
• "Eddie navigates a vividly imagined landscape whose every facet is steeped in the author's remarkably detailed color scheme."
• "I use Paranormal to describe a certain facet of the Fantasy genre."
• "Another facet is that my real name is not as uncommon as my screen name, so I think I have better continuity sticking with my screen name."