twelve

views updated Jun 11 2018

twelve one more than eleven, the number of certain well known sets or groups, as the twelve Apostles, the twelve Labours of Hercules, and the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Recorded from Old English (in form twelf(e), the word is of Germanic origin and comes from the base of two + a second element probably expressing the sense ‘left over’.
twelve days of Christmas the traditional period of Christmas festivities, from Christmas Day to the feast of the Epiphany.
twelve good men and true the twelve members of a jury; the expression is recorded from the mid 17th century.
Twelve Tribes of Israel the twelve divisions of ancient Israel, each traditionally descended from one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Ten of the tribes (Asher, Dan, Gad, Issachar, Levi, Manasseh, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, and Zebulun, known as the Lost Tribes) were deported to captivity in Assyria c.720 bc, leaving only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

See also it is not spring unless you can plant your foot upon twelve daisies.

twelve

views updated May 21 2018

twelve / twelv/ • cardinal number equivalent to the product of three and four; two more than ten; 12: he walked twelve miles there are just twelve of us in all a twelve-string guitar. (Roman numeral: xii, XII.) ∎  a group or unit of twelve people or things. ∎  twelve years old: a small blond girl of about twelve. ∎  twelve o'clock: it's half past twelve. ∎  a size of garment or other merchandise denoted by twelve. ∎  (the Twelve) the twelve Apostles.

twelve

views updated May 29 2018

twelve OE. twelf, inflected twelfe = OS. twelif, twilif (MDu. twalef, Du. twaalf), OHG. zwelif (G. zwölf), ON. tólf, Goth. twalif (-lib); Gmc., prob. f. *twa- TWO + *lif- as in ELEVEN.
So twelfth OE. twelfta = MDu. twalefde (Du. twaalfde), OHG. zwelifto (G. zwölfte), ON. tólfti, f. twelf, etc. (see -TH2); the new formation with -the substituted for -te appeared XIV and became general from XVI.