dozen
dozen Lexical Profile
dozen Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A group or set of twelve items or individuals.
"She stopped by the local bakery to purchase a dozen fresh bagels for the morning meeting."
An indefinitely large number or amount of things or people (typically used in the plural).
"Dozens of volunteers gathered along the coastline to help clean up the beach after the storm."
• adjective
Amounting to twelve in number.
"The committee reviewed a dozen proposals before selecting the winning architectural design."
Word Nuance & Usage
When preceded by a specific number or determiner (such as 'two' or 'several'), the plural form remains 'dozen' (e.g., 'two dozen eggs'); the inflected plural 'dozens' is used when indicating an unspecified large quantity followed by 'of' (e.g., 'dozens of people').
• Rhymes for dozen
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French 'dozaine', a collective noun formed from 'doze' (twelve), which ultimately derives from Latin 'duodecim' (two plus ten).