French word

douzaine

Pronunciation

IPA/duzɛn/

Meaning

  • feminine noundozen

Example

Il a vendu une douzaine de biscuits en une heure.

He sold a dozen cookies in an hour.

Illustration for douzaine (dozen)

More examples

J'ai acheté une douzaine d'œufs au marché.

I bought a dozen eggs at the market.

Core concept

A counted group of twelve units treated as one quantity.

Common phrases

  • une douzaine d'œufs

    a dozen eggs

  • une douzaine de biscuits

    a dozen biscuits

  • plus d'une douzaine

    more than a dozen

Similar words

dizaine: A group or quantity of about ten.
vingtaine: A group or quantity of about twenty.
trentaine: A group or quantity of about thirty.

Definition in French

Désigne un ensemble de douze unités.

Word origin

Douzaine comes from Old French dozaine, formed from douze with the collective suffix -aine; douze ultimately derives from Latin duodecim.

Usage tips

  • French normally says une douzaine de biscuits, with de before the plural noun, whereas English can say a dozen biscuits without an equivalent preposition.

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