twelve

American  

[twelv] / twɛlv /

noun

1. a cardinal number, 10 plus 2.

2. a symbol for this number, as 12 or XII.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. the Twelve, the 12 apostles chosen by Christ.

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adjective

1. amounting to 12 in number.

twelve British  

/ twɛlv /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and two See also number

2. a numeral, 12, XII, etc, representing this number

3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 12 units

4. Also called: twelve o'clock.  noon or midnight

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to twelve

      twelve loaves

   2. ( as pronoun ) See also dozen

      twelve have arrived

Etymology

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; two, leave ¹, eleven

Example Sentences

On day twelve of this great spirit silence, Mr. Capron and Mr. Willets knocked at the front door.

From Literature

It was twelve miles from where we lived in the hills to the little town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and it would take a good part of the day to get there.

From Literature

Frederick and Bruno once tried to dig down to their hoard but gave up after they dug twelve feet and still couldn’t see a thing.

From Literature

“Companies in both the service sector and the manufacturing industry are also quite optimistic about the next twelve months which bodes well for GDP growth of more than 1% this year,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Only three of the twelve that cover Figma recommend it as a Buy, while eight rate it as a Hold.

From Barron's