Wiktionary

twelve

TranslingualEdit

EtymologyEdit

From English twelve.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

twelve

  1. (international standards) NATO, ICAO, ITU & IMO radiotelephony code for 12, used only with o'clock to indicate direction

EnglishEdit

English numbers (edit)
120
 ←  11 12 13  → 
    Cardinal: twelve
    Ordinal: twelfth
    Latinate ordinal: duodecimary
    Adverbial: twelve times
    Multiplier: twelvefold
    Latinate multiplier: duodecuple
    Collective: dozen, twelvesome
    Greek or Latinate collective: duodecad, duodecade
    Greek collective prefix: dodeca-
    Latinate collective prefix: duodeca-
    Fractional: twelfth, dozenth
    Latinate fractional prefix: unci-
    Greek prefix: dodecato-
    Number of musicians: duodecet
 
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Alternative formsEdit

  • Arabic numerals: 12
  • Roman numerals: XII
  • twelue (obsolete)

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English twelve, from Old English twelf (“twelve”), from Proto-Germanic *twalif, an old compound of *twa- (“two”) and *-lif (“left over”) (i.e., two left over after having already counted to ten), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, remain”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian tweelf, tweelif, tweelich (“twelve”), West Frisian tolve (“twelve”), Dutch twaalf (“twelve”), German Low German twalf, twalv (“twelve”), German zwölf (“twelve”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian tolv (“twelve”), Icelandic tólf (“twelve”).

PronunciationEdit

NumeralEdit

twelve

  1. The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.
    There are twelve months in a year.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • → Japanese: トゥエルブ (tuerubu)

TranslationsEdit

See alsoEdit

NounEdit

twelve (plural twelves)

  1. A group of twelve items.
    Fractions would be a little easier if we counted by twelves.
  2. A twelve-bore gun.
    • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 880:
      In this way Von Esslin ‘inherited’ two fine hammerless twelves which he used once or twice for duck on the Camargue.
  3. (law, colloquial) A jury (normally composed of twelve persons).
  4. (slang) The police; law enforcement, especially a narcotics officer.
  5. (military slang, by ellipsis of twelve o'clock) Front (front side of something, position in front of something).
    watch your twelve

Related termsEdit

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Hall, Joseph Sargent (March 2, 1942), “3. The Consonants”, in The Phonetics of Great Smoky Mountain Speech (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 4), New York: King's Crown Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 11, page 104.

Middle EnglishEdit

Middle English numbers (edit)
 ←  11 12 13  → 
    Cardinal: twelve

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From inflected froms of Old English twelf, from Proto-West Germanic *twalif, in turn from Proto-Germanic *twalif.

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /ˈtwɛlv(ə)/, /ˈtwɛlf(ə)/

NumeralEdit

twelve

  1. twelve

DescendantsEdit

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