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"dozen" in seven languages

Meaningdozen

Spanish

docena

/doˈθena/

fem.inherited

Built on doce 'twelve'.

French

douzaine

/duzɛn/

fem.inherited

Built on douze 'twelve'; the same -aine makes une dizaine 'about ten'.

Italian

dozzina

/dodˈdzina/

fem.borrowed · Old French douzaine (or Occitan dotzena)

Italian's own twelve is dodici, so dozzina betrays its French origin.

Portuguese

dúzia

/ˈduzjɐ/

fem.other source · built on doze 'twelve' (Latin DUODECIM); how dúzia was formed is disputed

Romanian

duzină

/duˈzinə/

fem.borrowed · Italian dozzina

Catalan

dotzena

/duˈdzɛnə/

fem.inherited

English

dozen

/ˈdʌzən/

from Latin/French · Old French dozeine

English → ItaliandozendozzinaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

DUODECIM‘twelve’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

DUODECIM wore down to doce and douze; a suffix turned 'twelve' into 'a set of twelve'. English dozen comes from the French word, and so does Italian dozzina.

English relatives: duodecimal, duodenum

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In a sentence

  • esCompré una docena de huevos.
  • frJ'ai acheté une douzaine d'œufs.
  • itHo comprato una dozzina di uova.
  • ptComprei uma dúzia de ovos.
  • roAm cumpărat o duzină de ouă.
  • caHe comprat una dotzena d'ous.
  • enI bought a dozen eggs.

More words from the same Latin

More in Numbers

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