Definition of dozen

dozennoun

tá (12)

/ˈdʌzn/

Definition of undefined

The word "dozen" has its roots in Old French "douzaine," which means "a group of twelve." This Old French term is derived from the Latin "duodecim," meaning "twelve." In Latin, "duodecim" was composed of "duo," meaning "two," and "decem," meaning "ten." The Latin "duodecim" was used to describe a group of twelve eggs, which was considered a standard quantity for trading and measuring purposes. The word "dozen" entered the English language in the 14th century and originally referred to a dozen eggs or other objects that came in groups of twelve. Over time, the meaning of the word expanded to include any group of twelve items, regardless of their type. Today, the word "dozen" is widely used in many languages and contexts, including cooking, commerce, and everyday conversation.

namespace

a group of twelve of the same thing

một nhóm mười hai người giống nhau

Example:
  • Give me a dozen, please.

    Làm ơn cho tôi một tá.

  • two dozen eggs

    hai chục quả trứng

  • three dozen red roses

    ba chục bông hồng đỏ

  • half a dozen bottles of wine

    nửa tá chai rượu

  • a half-dozen bottles of wine

    nửa tá chai rượu

Related words and phrases

a group of approximately twelve people or things

một nhóm khoảng mười hai người hoặc đồ vật

Example:
  • several dozen/a few dozen people

    vài chục/vài chục người

  • The company employs no more than a couple of dozen people.

    Công ty tuyển dụng không quá vài chục người.

  • Only about half a dozen people turned up.

    Chỉ có khoảng nửa tá người xuất hiện.

  • There was only space for a half-dozen tables.

    Chỉ có chỗ cho nửa tá bàn.

  • There were two dozen or so, men mostly, all looking a little bored.

    Có khoảng hai chục người, chủ yếu là đàn ông, tất cả đều trông hơi buồn chán.

a lot of people or things

rất nhiều người hoặc nhiều thứ

Example:
  • I've been there dozens of times.

    Tôi đã ở đó hàng chục lần.

  • We interviewed dozens and dozens of people.

    Chúng tôi đã phỏng vấn hàng chục, hàng chục người.

  • They arrived in dozens (= in large numbers).

    Họ đến hàng chục (= với số lượng lớn).

  • Babies are turning up in their dozens to be snapped for the paper's Baby of the Year competition.

    Hàng chục em bé đang xuất hiện để được chọn tham gia cuộc thi Em bé của năm của tờ báo.

Related words and phrases

Idioms

a dime a dozen
very common and therefore not valuable
it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other
(saying)used to say that there is not much real difference between two possible choices
talk, etc. nineteen to the dozen
(British English, informal)to talk, etc. without stopping
  • She was chatting away, nineteen to the dozen.