faceted

[ fas-i-tid ]

adjective

1. having facets, or small, polished, flat surfaces, cut on it:

   Each faceted wine glass is carved carefully from pure lead-free crystal.

   A rough diamond is significantly less expensive than a faceted diamond gemstone.

2. (of rock) having a smooth surface cut by water, blowing sand, etc.:

   These faceted rock fragments have been scratched and planed by rubbing against each other as they were carried along by a glacier.

3. having a number of distinct aspects or phases (used in combination):

   This oversimplification of the issue obscures what is actually a many-faceted problem.

   Here we have a dual-faceted challenge—identifying the equipment needed, and covering its cost.

4. Computers. relating to or being a search whose results are narrowed down by selecting various filters or criteria:

   Using the faceted search on this site you could, for example, try to find a book on snails for children aged six to nine, published after 2016, that costs less than $30.

5. Architecture, Furniture. (of a column) shaped like a polygon with faces cut on it:

   When remodeling my basement I replaced a plain post in the middle with a faceted column to give the room more character.

   The ad shows a large antique brass lamp with a faceted column terminating in a circular base.

6. Zoology. having more than one corneal lens, as the compound eye of an arthropod:

   Under her microscope, the gall wasp’s faceted eyes glowed in a spectrum of colors.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of facet.

Other Words From

• un·fac·et·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faceted¹

First recorded in 1765–75; facet ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) faceted fordefs 1, 2, 5; facet ( def ) + -ed ³( def ) faceted fordefs 3, 4, 6; facet ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) faceted fordef 7

Example Sentences

In a moment of great danger, “the bergs are many, lavender and faceted, when the air is full of floating ice crystals.”

From Scientific American

In the Broadway Windows, one “Eternalism” skims across a faceted landscape that seems constructed from crumpled tinfoil.

From New York Times

Most fungi in this family have shallow bowls, but the Fluted Bird's Nest is more funnel-shaped, with its ribbed tube faceted by spiky, wooly tufts.

From Salon

His faceted figures and faces in particular are astonishing made things that reach back through Cubism to the carved figures of African sculpture.

From New York Times

The beechwood panels blanketing walls and balcony fronts are faceted to diffuse sound in jazzy patterns that evoke musical staves.

From New York Times