twelfth

[ twelfth ]

adjective

1. next after the eleventh; being the ordinal number for 12.
2. being one of 12 equal parts.

noun

1. a twelfth part, especially of one (1/12).
2. the twelfth member of a series.

twelfth

/ twɛlfθ /

adjective

1. usually prenominal
   1. coming after the eleventh in number or counting order, position, time, etc; being the ordinal number of twelve: often written 12th
   2. ( as noun )

      the twelfth of the month

noun

1. 1. one of 12 equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a twelfth part

2. the fraction equal to one divided by 12 ( 1 12 )
3. music
   1. an interval of one octave plus a fifth
   2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other
   3. an organ stop sounding a note one octave and a fifth higher than that normally produced by the key depressed

Word History and Origins

Origin of twelfth¹

before 900; Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, Old English twelfta, equivalent to twelf twelve + -ta -th ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of twelfth¹

from Old English twelfta

Example Sentences

He performed the role of Eliza Doolittle from Shaw's play Pygmalion, and the part of Cesario in Twelfth Night - not realising the part was female character Viola disguised in male clothing.

From BBC

A twelfth monkey died at a Hong Kong zoo, with tests underway to determine if it succumbed to the same bacterial infection that killed 11 other monkeys in the past 10 days.

From BBC

The twelfth monkey died on Tuesday and early results indicated that it too had "similar lesions... in the tissues of its organs", officials said.

From BBC

She joined the Oxford Playhouse School of Theatre, debuting at 17 as Viola in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”

From Los Angeles Times

These restrictions “apply to all grades, kindergarten through twelfth grade”, the lawsuit states, arguing that the law has created a “regime of strict censorship” in schools.

From BBC