Why Is 12 Called a Dozen?
Whether you’re purchasing eggs or golf balls, you’ll often find them packaged by the dozen. The term “dozen” defines a group of 12, and it’s widely understood to mean that among English speakers around the globe. But while people know what a dozen is, they’re less familiar with why “dozen”
came to refer to 12. Use of the word “dozen” dates to the 14th century, though this exact spelling didn’t come about until the 1500s. It was preceded by spellings such as “dousen,” “dozyne,” “duzan,” and other similar variants. Regardless of the exact spelling, the word is derived from the...
