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baker's dozen

/ˈbeɪkərz ˌdʌzən/
IPA guide

A baker's dozen is thirteen of something. If your cat has a baker's dozen of kittens, she has thirteen babies.

You can use the term baker's dozen any time you're talking about thirteen items. You might buy a baker's dozen of stuffed animals for your many cousins, or bake a baker's dozen of chocolate chip cookies. In fact, baking is the origin of baker's dozen — since the sixteenth century, the term has been used to talk about the longstanding custom of bakers adding an extra loaf or muffin or bagel to a customer's order of a dozen.

Definitions of baker's dozen
  1. noun
    the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one
    synonyms: 13, XIII, long dozen, thirteen
    see moresee less
    type of:
    large integer
    an integer equal to or greater than ten
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