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”).
Meanings
A group of twelve items.
Fractions would be a little easier if we counted by twelves.
A twelve-bore gun.
In this way Von Esslin ‘inherited’ two fine hammerless twelves which he used once or twice for duck on the Camargue. 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 880:
(colloquial) A jury (normally composed of twelve persons).
(slang) The police; law enforcement, especially a narcotics officer.
(qualifier:by ellipsis of twelve o'clock, slang) Front (front side of something, position in front of something).
watch your twelve
For quotations using this term, see Citations:twelve.
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”).
Meanings
The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.
Hopper points out that duodecads have been prominent in every ancient civilization and cites as examples twelve spokes in the wheel of the Hindu Rta, the twelve gates of hell where Egyptian Ra must spend the twelve hours of night, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve labors of Hercules, [...] 1972, Eleanor Webster Bulatkin, Structural Arithmetic Metaphor in the Oxford "Roland.", Ohio State University Press, →ISBN, page 10:
wo fukk ak ñaar (cardinal number 12) · sjd кӯһтэмплоагкь (cardinal number 12) · pms dódes (cardinal number 12) · pdc zwelf (cardinal number 12) · hsb dwanaće (cardinal number 12) · za cib ngeih (cardinal number 12) · lld dodesc (cardinal number 12) · crh on eki (cardinal number 12) · uz oʻn ikki (cardinal number 12) · ml പന്ത്രണ്ട് (cardinal number 12) · bcl kagduwa (cardinal number 12) · fi kaksitoista (cardinal number 12) · ca dotze (cardinal number 12) · id dua belas (cardinal number 12) · tpi wanpela ten tu (cardinal number 12) · cic pokkó'li awa toklo (cardinal number 12) · hy տասներկու (cardinal number 12) · acw اثنعش (cardinal number 12) · ccc chunka ma'pojta (cardinal number 12) · pt doze (cardinal number 12) · esu qula malruk (cardinal number 12) · sh два́нае̄ст (cardinal number 12) · mg roa ambinifolo (cardinal number 12) · lb zwielef (cardinal number 12) · zun asdemłan kwili yałdo' (cardinal number 12) · ta பன்னிரண்டு (cardinal number 12) · gd a dhà-dheug (cardinal number 12) · ny khumi n'ziwiri (cardinal number 12) · fy tolf (cardinal number 12) · bn বারো (cardinal number 12) · got 𐍄𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌹𐍆 (cardinal number 12) · dv ބާރަ (cardinal number 12) · rgn dodṣ (cardinal number 12) · ga dó dhéag (cardinal number 12) · gl doce (cardinal number 12) · ik qulit malġuk (cardinal number 12) · mn ᠑᠒) (cardinal number 12) · dv ދޮޅަސް (cardinal number 12) · sc dóghi (cardinal number 12) · haw ʻumikūmālua (cardinal number 12) · vi mười hai (cardinal number 12) · vo degtel (cardinal number 12) · to hongofulu mā ua (cardinal number 12) · kl aqqaneq-marluk (cardinal number 12) · yi צוועלף (cardinal number 12) · ast doce (cardinal number 12) · ms satu puluh dua (cardinal number 12) · da tolv (cardinal number 12) · tig ዐስር ወክልኤ (cardinal number 12) · sa द्वादश (cardinal number 12) · hu tucat (cardinal number 12) · nl twaalf (cardinal number 12) · dsb dwanasćo (cardinal number 12) · io dek-e-du (cardinal number 12) · de zwölf (cardinal number 12) · cs dvanáct (cardinal number 12) · mnc ᠵᡠᠸᠠᠨ ᠵᡠᠸᡝ (cardinal number 12) · es doce (cardinal number 12) · te పండ్రెండు (cardinal number 12) · enm twelve (cardinal number 12) · kxd dua balas (cardinal number 12) · ru двена́дцать (cardinal number 12) · mi tekau mā rua (cardinal number 12) · ay tunka payani (cardinal number 12) · srn twarfu (cardinal number 12) · ltg divpadsmit (cardinal number 12) · ckb دوازدە (cardinal number 12) · yua lajkaʼa (cardinal number 12) · csm ˀoṭíkšake·ny- (cardinal number 12) · cab dûsu (cardinal number 12) · sma luhkie göökte (cardinal number 12) · se guoktenuppelohkái (cardinal number 12) · be двана́ццаць (cardinal number 12) · oc dotze (cardinal number 12) · lij dózze (cardinal number 12) · pa ਬਾਰਾਂ (cardinal number 12) · shn သိပ်းသွင် (cardinal number 12) · swb kumi na mbili (cardinal number 12) · sip བཅུ་གཉིས (cardinal number 12) · yao likumi kwisa wili (cardinal number 12) · zdj kume na -ili (cardinal number 12) · na ata ma aro (cardinal number 12) · mnw စှ်ၜါ (cardinal number 12) · rgn dodg (cardinal number 12) · fy tolve (cardinal number 12) · crp-cpr 獨凹那此地 (cardinal number 12) · hak 十二 (cardinal number 12) · bg двана́десет (cardinal number 12) · fa دوازده (cardinal number 12) · ti ዓሰርተ ክልተ (cardinal number 12) · yai дуԝоздаҳ (cardinal number 12) · sdh دوازدە (cardinal number 12) · az on iki (cardinal number 12) · sh dvánaēst (cardinal number 12) · vo balsetel (cardinal number 12) · si දොළහ (cardinal number 12) · kn ಹನ್ನೆರಡು (cardinal number 12) · mn ᠠᠷᠪᠠᠨ ᠬᠣᠶᠠᠷ (cardinal number 12) · rhg baró (cardinal number 12) · grc ιβ΄ (cardinal number 12) · nci mahtlāctli omōme (cardinal number 12) · el δώδεκα (cardinal number 12) · nds twolf (cardinal number 12) · la duodecim (cardinal number 12) · he שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר (cardinal number 12) · cu дъва на дєсѧтє (cardinal number 12) · mfe douz (cardinal number 12) · ms sepuluh dua (cardinal number 12) · ug ئون ئىككى (cardinal number 12) · ce шийтта (cardinal number 12) · koi даскык (cardinal number 12) · km ដប់ពីរ (cardinal number 12) · tig ዐስር ወክልኦት (cardinal number 12) · he שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה (cardinal number 12) · bo བཅུ་གཉིས (cardinal number 12) · ka თორმეტი (cardinal number 12) · syc ܬܪܬܥܣܪܐ (cardinal number 12) · vec dódexe (cardinal number 12) · eu hamabi (cardinal number 12) · cy deuddeg (cardinal number 12) · wa doze (cardinal number 12) · gv daa yeig (cardinal number 12) · kk он екі (cardinal number 12) · kn ೧೨ (cardinal number 12) · syc ܬܪܥܣܪ (cardinal number 12) · hop pakwt niikyang löqmuy siikya’ta (cardinal number 12) · ovd tolv (cardinal number 12) · cv вуник (cardinal number 12) · my ဆယ့်နှစ် (cardinal number 12) · gu બાર (cardinal number 12) · an doce (cardinal number 12) · et kaksteist (cardinal number 12) · an dotze (cardinal number 12) · mi ngahuru mā rua (cardinal number 12) · smn kyehtnubáloh (cardinal number 12) · fo tólv (cardinal number 12) · arz اتناشر (cardinal number 12) · pi dvādasa (cardinal number 12) · krl kaksitostu (cardinal number 12) · hrx zwellef (cardinal number 12) · hi बारह (cardinal number 12) · lmo dodes (cardinal number 12) · lo ສິບສອງ (cardinal number 12) · alt он эки (cardinal number 12) · tg дувоздаҳ (cardinal number 12) · ur بارہ (cardinal number 12) · tfn nutiha beq'di (cardinal number 12) · tpi twelv (cardinal number 12) · kmr dazde (cardinal number 12) · hu tizenkettő (cardinal number 12) · sms kuâtmlo (cardinal number 12) · bua арбан хоёр (cardinal number 12) · gd dà-dheug (cardinal number 12) · bg двана́йсет (cardinal number 12) · aii ܬܪܸܥܣܲܪ (cardinal number 12) · sw kumi na mbili (cardinal number 12) · chr ᏔᎵᏚ (cardinal number 12) · wym cwełf (cardinal number 12) · an doze (cardinal number 12) · kix tshìekǜlǖmīeh (cardinal number 12) · acw اتنعش (cardinal number 12) · nv naakitsʼáadah (cardinal number 12) · ms dua belas (cardinal number 12) · arc תרתעסרא (cardinal number 12) · izh kakstoist (cardinal number 12) · it dodici (cardinal number 12) · oj ashi-niizh (cardinal number 12) · th สิบสอง (cardinal number 12) · fj tini ka rua (cardinal number 12) · ba ун ике (cardinal number 12) · ko 십이 (cardinal number 12) · lv divpadsmit (cardinal number 12) · mt tnax (cardinal number 12) · chk engon me ru (cardinal number 12) · cic awa toklo (cardinal number 12) · cv вуниккӗ (cardinal number 12) · eo dek du (cardinal number 12) · mn арван хоёр (cardinal number 12) · tl labindalawa (cardinal number 12) · lt dvylika (cardinal number 12) · br daouzek (cardinal number 12) · ja 十二 (cardinal number 12) · cv вуникӗ (cardinal number 12) · qu chunka iskayniyuq (cardinal number 12) · or ବାର (cardinal number 12) · cy undeg dau (cardinal number 12) · pl dwanaście (cardinal number 12) · rom deśuduj (cardinal number 12) · sv tolv (cardinal number 12) · am ዐሥራ ሁለት (cardinal number 12) · arc תרעסר (cardinal number 12) · fur dodis (cardinal number 12) · zza dıwês (diq) (cardinal number 12) · af twaalf (cardinal number 12) · liv kakštuoistõn (cardinal number 12) · mk двана́есет (cardinal number 12) · cmn 十二 (cardinal number 12) · rm dudesch (cardinal number 12) · sat ᱜᱮᱞ ᱵᱟᱨ (cardinal number 12) · tr on iki (cardinal number 12) · dz བཅུ་གཉིས (cardinal number 12) · rue двана́дцять (cardinal number 12) · rmf deȟ-o-dui (cardinal number 12) · ksw တဆံခံ (cardinal number 12) · pl dwanaścioro (cardinal number 12) · lkt akénuŋpa (cardinal number 12) · uk двана́дцять (cardinal number 12) · ang twelf (cardinal number 12) · sk dvanásť (cardinal number 12) · tt унике (cardinal number 12) · zza desudıdı (cardinal number 12) · nds twölf (cardinal number 12) · ky он эки (cardinal number 12) · sm sefulu lua (cardinal number 12) · ko 열둘 (cardinal number 12) · is tólf (cardinal number 12) · yue 十二 (cardinal number 12) · sq dymbëdhjetë (cardinal number 12) · ceb napulog duha (cardinal number 12) · pdc zwelfe (cardinal number 12) · ckb دوانزە (cardinal number 12) · cy undeg dwy (cardinal number 12) · ht douz (cardinal number 12) · khb ᦉᦲᧇᦉᦸᧂ (cardinal number 12) · no tolv (cardinal number 12) · dlm dotco (cardinal number 12) · sl dvanájst (cardinal number 12) · ar اِثْنَا عَشَرَ (cardinal number 12) · tk on iki (cardinal number 12) · lou douz (cardinal number 12) · grc δώδεκα (cardinal number 12) · fr douze (cardinal number 12) · ain tu ikasima wan (cardinal number 12) · ty hō'ē 'ahuru ma piti (cardinal number 12)