the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and two
See also number (sense 1)
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
determiner
5.
a.
amounting to twelve
twelve loaves
b.
(as pronoun)
twelve have arrived
See also dozen ▶ Related adjective: duodecimal ▶ Related prefix: dodeca-
Word origin
Old English twelf; related to Old Frisian twelif, Old High German zwelif, Old Norse tolf, Gothic twalif
twelve in American English
(twɛlv)
adjective
1.
totaling two more than ten
noun
2.
the cardinal number between eleven and thirteen; 12; XII
3.
any group of twelve persons or things; dozen
4.
something numbered twelve or having twelve units, as a throw of dice, etc.
Idioms:
the Twelve
Word origin
ME twelfe < OE twelf, akin to Ger zwölf, Goth twalif < PGmc *twa-lif < IE bases *dwōu (> two) & *likw- < base *leikw-, to leave behind > loan: orig. sense, two left (beyond ten): cf. eleven
Examples of 'twelve' in a sentence
twelve
The process can take ten or twelve years.
Brumberg, Elaine Take Care of Your Skin (1990)
The father died when his friend was twelve years of age.
John Cornwell Seminary Boy (2006)
There followed twelve days of enthusiastic drafting.
Brian Thompson DEVASTATING EDEN: The Search for Utopia in America (2004)
How could it be that if it had gone twelve miles over heavy roads?
Arthur Conan Doyle The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
People could work for just a few hours and earn ten or twelve francs.
Christy Campbell PHYLLOXERA: How Wine was Saved for the World (2004)
She had no recollections of her life between the age of twelve and fifteen.
Vera Peiffer POSITIVELY FEARLESS: Breaking free of the fears that hold you back (2001)
On a bad day it took twelve.
Hyland, Paul Indian Balm - Travels in the Southern Subcontinent (1994)
California lay spread out twelve miles below.
Christy Campbell PHYLLOXERA: How Wine was Saved for the World (2004)
Leicester raised their game to score the crucial try with twelve minutes to go.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
If you happen to draw stall number twelve out wide in all your races you might as well stay at home.
Frankie Dettori with Jonathan Powell FRANKIE: The Autobiography of Frankie Dettori (2004)
There are twelve thousand names in that cabinet, members of that church.
Christianity Today (2000)
She made substantial cuts, resulting in twelve numbered episodes, and reduced the number of dashes.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
It isn't possible that anything has happened to the sun, and this is twelve at noon!
Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol (1843)
This was huge, but the play kicked off at twelve noon, right in the middle of my radio show.
The Sun (2008)
In other languages
twelve
British English: twelve /twɛlv/ NUMBER
Twelve is the number 12.
...the twelve months of the year.
American English: twelve
Arabic: اِثْنَا عَشَرَ
Brazilian Portuguese: doze
Chinese: 十二
Croatian: dvanaest
Czech: dvanáct
Danish: tolv
Dutch: twaalf
European Spanish: doce
Finnish: kaksitoista
French: douze
German: zwölf
Greek: δώδεκα
Italian: dodici
Japanese: 十二
Korean: 12
Norwegian: tolv
Polish: dwanaście
European Portuguese: doze
Romanian: doisprezece
Russian: двенадцать
Latin American Spanish: doce
Swedish: tolv
Thai: สิบสอง
Turkish: on iki
Ukrainian: дванадцять
Vietnamese: mười hai
All related terms of 'twelve'
the Twelve
the Twelve Apostles
twelve-inch
a gramophone record 12 inches in diameter and played at 45 revolutions per minute, usually containing an extended remix of a single
twelve-step
of or relating to a method of treatment for addiction which consists of twelve stages and stresses the need for patients to acknowledge their problem and to take personal responsibility for it
twelve-tone
of, relating to, or denoting the type of serial music invented and developed by Arnold Schoenberg , which uses as musical material a tone row formed by the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale , together with its inverted and retrograde versions . The technique has been applied in various ways by different composers and usually results in music in which there are few, if any, tonal centres
Super Twelve
an annual international southern hemisphere Rugby Union tournament between teams from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand
twelve pitch
the most powerful , rich, gifted , or educated members of a group, community, etc
Twelve Tables
→ the Twelve Tables
Twelve Apostles
the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus to go forth to teach the gospel
twelve o'clock
→ another name for midday
the Twelve Tables
the earliest code of Roman civil , criminal , and religious law, promulgated in 451–450 bc
twelve-mile limit
the offshore boundary 12 miles from the coast claimed by some states as marking the extent of their territorial jurisdiction
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
→ the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
a treatise , perhaps of the 1st or early 2nd century ad , on Christian morality and practices
elite
You can refer to the most powerful, rich, or talented people within a particular group, place, or society as the elite .