The twelfth item in a series is the one that you count as number twelve.
...the twelfth anniversary of the April revolution.
...a twelfth-century church.
2. fraction
A twelfth is one of twelve equal parts of something.
She is entitled to a twelfth of the cash.
twelfth in British English
(twɛlfθ)
adjective
1. (usually prenominal)
a.
coming after the eleventh in number or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of twelve: often written 12th
b.
(as noun)
the twelfth of the month
noun
2.
a.
one of 12 equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc
b.
(as modifier)
a twelfth part
3.
the fraction equal to one divided by 12 (1⁄12)
4. music
a.
an interval of one octave plus a fifth
b.
one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other
c.
an organ stop sounding a note one octave and a fifth higher than that normally produced by the key depressed
Word origin
from Old English twelfta
twelfth in American English
(twɛlfθ)
adjective
1.
preceded by eleven others in a series; 12th
2.
designating any of the twelve equal parts of something
noun
3.
the one following the eleventh
4.
any of the twelve equal parts of something; 1⁄12
adverb
5.
in the twelfth place, rank, group, etc.
Word origin
ME twelfthe < OE twelfta: see twelve & -th2
Examples of 'twelfth' in a sentence
twelfth
Would they be more or less likely to finish twelfth?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The twelfth century was the last time.
Charles Glass The Tribes Triumphant (2006)
Then we entirely make up a twelfth one and shove it in there somewhere.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Who has not heard of the call for the crowd to become the twelfth man?
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He is the unspoken twelfth man when we are on tour and in big series at home.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The teenage unit is on the twelfth floor of the hospital and the mood is caring and friendly.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Sunday was my twelfth wedding anniversary.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The twelfth time was no different.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The game's only goal arrived in the twelfth minute and was instantly forgettable.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Please can we finish above twelfth place in the League?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This second volume presents two bodies of Latin lyric and satirical poetry of the twelfth century.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
In the same year he became champion trainer in Ireland for the twelfth time.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Although the conquest of Ireland had taken place in the twelfth century rebellions and unrest continued.
Davey, Ray Rev. & Cole, John A Channel of Peace (1993)
He finished twelfth and always said that he wished he had been selected in 1956 when conditions better suited his prowess in heavy weather.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Last season, if he got up to twelfth or fourteenth position, it was a miracle.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
For the Ballydoyle team, this was a twelfth group one win of a season only approaching its halfway point.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He missed in the twelfth and fourteenth minutes, although his second effort did hit the upright, and fluffed his dropped goal attempt early in the second half.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
twelfth
British English: twelfth /twɛlfθ/ ADJECTIVE
The twelfth item in a series is the one that you count as number twelve.
...the twelfth anniversary of the revolution.
American English: twelfth
Arabic: الثَّانِي عَشَرَ
Brazilian Portuguese: décimo segundo
Chinese: 第十二的
Croatian: dvanaesti
Czech: dvanáctý
Danish: tolvte
Dutch: twaalfde
European Spanish: duodécimo
Finnish: kahdestoista
French: douzième
German: zwölfter
Greek: δωδέκατος
Italian: dodicesimo
Japanese: 十二番目の
Korean: 열두 번째의
Norwegian: tolvte
Polish: dwunasty
European Portuguese: décimo segundo
Romanian: al doisprezecelea
Russian: двенадцатый
Latin American Spanish: duodécimo
Swedish: tolfte
Thai: ลำดับที่สิบสอง
Turkish: on ikinci
Ukrainian: дванадцятий
Vietnamese: thứ mười hai
All related terms of 'twelfth'
Twelfth Day
Jan 6, the twelfth day after Christmas and the feast of the Epiphany , formerly observed as the final day of the Christmas celebrations
twelfth man
a reserve player in a cricket team
twelfth men
a reserve player in a cricket team
twelfth grade
(in the US) the final year of secondary school after which students usually graduate at age 17 or 18
Twelfth Night
the evening of Jan 5, the eve of Twelfth Day , formerly observed with various festal celebrations
twelfth-grader
(in the US) a pupil in the twelfth-grade
Twelfth Amendment
an amendment to the U.S. Constitution , ratified in 1804, providing for election of the president and vice president by the electoral college: should there be no majority vote for one person, the House of Representatives (one vote per state) chooses the president and the Senate the vice president