Kaksteist

Kaksteist is the Estonian cardinal number for twelve. It is used when counting items, indicating a quantity of twelve, and appears in both spoken and written Estonian.

Etymology and forms: The word is formed from kaks (two) with the suffix -teist, which marks the teen numbers in Estonian. In Estonian, the teen numbers 11–19 share the -teist ending, for example üksteist for eleven and kaksteist for twelve.

Usage: Kaksteist is used before a noun or with a noun to denote twelve of something. After kaksteist, nouns take the standard Estonian case endings. Common phrases include kaksteist inimest (twelve people) and kaksteist kuud (twelve months). It can also appear in expressions of time or duration, such as kaksteist tundi (twelve hours). As with other cardinal numbers in Estonian, the surrounding noun's form changes according to case, while kaksteist itself remains the numeral.

Comparison: In Estonian, the teen numbers share a common -teist ending, with eleven written as üksteist and twelve as kaksteist. This pattern continues through the teenage numbers, though the exact forms of 13–19 vary to reflect the base numbers.

See also: Estonian numbers.