twelfth

American  

[twelfth] / twɛlfθ /

adjective

1. next after the eleventh; being the ordinal number for 12.

2. being one of 12 equal parts.

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noun

• twelfths
  plural

1. a twelfth part, especially of one (1/12).

2. the twelfth member of a series.

twelfth British  

/ twɛlfθ /

adjective

1. (usually prenominal)

   1. coming after the eleventh in number or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of twelve: often written 12th

   2. ( as noun )

      the twelfth of the month

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noun

1. 1. one of 12 equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a twelfth part

2. the fraction equal to one divided by 12 ( 1/ 12 )

3. music

   1. an interval of one octave plus a fifth

   2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other

   3. an organ stop sounding a note one octave and a fifth higher than that normally produced by the key depressed

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• twelfths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of twelfth

before 900; Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, Old English twelfta, equivalent to twelf twelve + -ta -th ²

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

twelfth twelfths

It is the twelfth day of deadlock between residents of the Garvaghy Road and the local district lodge of the Orange Order over the proposed march in Portadown, County Armagh.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The Patriots, who already boasted the most Super Bowl appearances with 11, will now have their twelfth showing on American football's biggest stage, and a chance to vie for a record seventh Lombardi trophy.

From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026

The maqāma genre emerged in the late tenth century and became especially popular from the twelfth century onward.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025

The record, her twelfth studio release and a collaboration with “Red,” “1989” and “Reputation” producers Max Martin and Shellback,” has received . . . mixed reviews.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2025

There was difficulty scheduling the twelfth round, which fell on a Saturday.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

If there are two and a tenth waves or eleven twelfths of a wave of one note for every wave of another note, they don't fit together as well.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

But," added the abbé, with enthusiasm, "a loan of thirty or forty francs without interest, and reimbursable by twelfths, when work returns-for honest workmen, it is their safety, it is hope, it is life.

From Mysteries of Paris, V3 by Eugène Sue

This pica body is divided into twelfths, which are termed "points," and every type body consist of a given number of these points.

From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section T, U, V, and W by Project Gutenberg

Even adding the 5 and 7 in 5⁄12 + 7⁄12 is not quite the same task as adding 5 and 7 undisturbed by the fact that they are twelfths.

From The Psychology of Arithmetic by Edward L. (Edward Lee) Thorndike

It should be given the thickness of seven twelfths of a hole.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio