facet plane
- noun
- /ˈfæsɪt pleɪn/
- Specialized
- The crystal had multiple facet planes that reflected light beautifully.
Examples
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In geometry class, we learned that a cube has six facet planes.
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Each facet plane on the die contributes to its unique shape and ability to roll.
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He suggests that those works took the particular forms they did as a result of the effort to find a balance between flattened facet planes that would emphasize the surface and a modeling that would disrupt it, without, however, producing anything that could quite be mistaken for sculptural form.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
The main front surface of an object or tool
A small flat shiny surface on a cut gem or bone
A flat surface on a bone or in the body
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents explicitly denote flat surfaces — 'facet' (a flat face) and 'plane' (a flat surface) — so the noun phrase simply refers to the flat surface that forms a facet. Although somewhat technical, this meaning is directly compositional and a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it.
Etymology
The term facet plane combines facet, meaning a flat side of a gem, and plane, meaning a flat surface. Imagine a cut diamond where each flat side lies on its own smooth surface, so facet plane means the flat surface that makes one 'face' of a shape or crystal.