twelve

Senso

Num

The cardinal number occurring after eleven and before thirteen, represented in Arabic numerals as 12 and in Roman numerals as XII.

Noun

1. A group of twelve items.
2. A twelve-bore gun.
3. (colloquial) A jury (normally composed of twelve persons).
4. (slang) The police; law enforcement, especially a narcotics officer.
5. (slang) Front (front side of something, position in front of something).

Pronunciato come (IPA)

/twɛlv/

Etimologia

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”).