characteristic vs facet

characteristic

noun
  • A distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

  • For a given field or ring, a natural number that is either the smallest positive number n such that n instances of the multiplicative identity (1) summed together yield the additive identity (0) or, if no such number exists, the number 0. 

  • The integer part of a logarithm. 

  • The distinguishing features of a navigational light on a lighthouse etc by which it can be identified (colour, pattern of flashes etc.). 

adj
  • Being a distinguishing feature of a person or thing. 

facet

noun
  • One among many similar or related, yet still distinct things. 

  • The narrow plane surface between flutings of a column; a fillet. 

  • One member of a compound eye, as found in insects and crustaceans. 

  • A smooth circumscribed surface. 

  • One of a series of things, such as steps in a project. 

  • Any one of the flat surfaces cut into a gem. 

  • A face of codimension 1 of a polytope. 

  • A criterion that can be used to sort and filter, such as the colour or size of products in an online store. 

  • Any of the small joints at each segment of the spine that provide stability and help guide motion 

verb
  • To cut a facet into a gemstone. 

How often have the words characteristic and facet occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )