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Twelfth: meaning, definitions and examples

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twelfth

 

[ twɛlfθ ]

Adjective / Noun
Context #1 | Adjective

ordinal number

Twelfth denotes the position in a sequence that comes after the eleventh and before the thirteenth. It is used to describe the order of something in a list, sequence, or rank.

Synonyms

12th, dozen, twelfth part

Examples of usage

  • He finished in twelfth place in the race.
  • This is the twelfth chapter of the book.
  • They celebrated their twelfth anniversary.
  • The twelfth month of the year is December.
Context #2 | Noun

fraction

In mathematics, a twelfth can also refer to one part of something that is divided into twelve equal parts. For example, one twelfth of a pizza means one slice out of twelve equal slices.

Synonyms

12th of, fractional part, one-twelfth

Examples of usage

  • She ate one twelfth of the cake.
  • Divide the pie into twelfths for equal pieces.
  • He measured out a twelfth of a gallon.
  • One twelfth of an hour is five minutes.

Translations

Translations of the word "twelfth" in other languages:

🇵🇹 décimo segundo

🇮🇳 बारहवां

🇩🇪 zwölfte

🇮🇩 kedua belas

🇺🇦 дванадцятий

🇵🇱 dwunasty

🇯🇵 第十二

🇫🇷 douzième

🇪🇸 duodécimo

🇹🇷 on ikinci

🇰🇷 열두 번째

🇸🇦 الثاني عشر

🇨🇿 dvanáctý

🇸🇰 dvanásty

🇨🇳 第十二

🇸🇮 dvanajsti

🇮🇸 tólfti

🇰🇿 он екінші

🇬🇪 მეთორმეტე

🇦🇿 on ikinci

🇲🇽 duodécimo

Etymology

The word 'twelfth' originates from the Old English 'twelfta', which is a combination of 'twelve' (the cardinal number) and a suffix that denotes an ordinal position. It can be traced back to Proto-Germanic *twalif, which is also the source of similar words in other Germanic languages. The evolution of 'twelf' into 'twelfth' illustrates the typical shift in English from Old to Middle English, where the idea of ordinality was increasingly marked in a systematic way. The use of ordinal numbers became an important aspect of numbering in various contexts, including date listing and listing items sequentially.

Word Frequency Rank

At #7,427 in frequency, this word belongs to advanced vocabulary. It's less common than core vocabulary but important for sophisticated expression.