twelve

[ twelv ]
/ twɛlv /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR twelve ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cardinal number, 10 plus 2.
a symbol for this number, as 12 or XII.
a set of this many persons or things.
the Twelve, the 12 apostles chosen by Christ.

adjective

amounting to 12 in number.

Origin of twelve

before 900; Middle English twelve, inflected form of twelf, Old English twelfe literally, (ten and) two leave, i.e., two left over; cognate with Old Frisian twelef, twelf, Old High German zwelif, Old Norse tōlf, Gothic twalif; compare Lithuanian dvýlika; see two, leave1, eleven

Words nearby twelve

twelfth day, twelfth man, twelfth night, twelfth-year molar, twelfthtide, twelve, twelve patriarchs, twelve pitch, twelve step, twelve tables, twelve-inch

Words related to twelve

duodecimal, twelfth, duodenary

Example sentences from the Web for twelve

British Dictionary definitions for twelve

twelve
/ (twɛlv) /

noun

the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and two See also number (def. 1)
a numeral, 12, XII, etc, representing this number
something represented by, representing, or consisting of 12 units
Also called: twelve o'clock noon or midnight

determiner

  1. amounting to twelvetwelve loaves
  2. (as pronoun)twelve have arrived See also dozen Related adjective: duodecimal Related prefix: dodeca-

Word Origin for twelve

Old English twelf; related to Old Frisian twelif, Old High German zwelif, Old Norse tolf, Gothic twalif