Forms: see TWELVE and MONTH; also 4 tuelfmoth; β. 4 tuelmoneth, -monþ, -moth, twelmoneþ, 4–6 twelmunth, 5 -monyth, twolmonthe, 5–6 twelmoneth(e, -month(e, -mond(e, (6 -motte); γ. 5 towlmonyth, 6 tolmonth, -mont, Sc. -mount, -mond, -mowth, towmound, 8 Sc. towmond, -month, 8–9 Sc. towmont. [f. OE. twelf TWELVE + mónað pl., MONTH. The γ-forms, however, are app. ad. ON. tólfmánuðr, of similar formation.]
1. A period of twelve months; a year.
[1038. Charter of Harold Harefoot, in Kemble, Cod. Dipl., IV. 56. Wel neh twelf monað.
c. 1131. O. E. Chron., an. 1128. Wær it tweolf monð oððe mare.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 218. Iðe uormeste tweolf moneð þet heo bigon ancre lif.]
c. 1275. Passion our Lord, 86, in O. E. Misc., 39. Heore muchele feste Of alle þe twelfmoneþ þat wes þe alre meste.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1917. A tuelfmoth [v.rr. twelf-monþe, tuelmoneth, tweluemoneþ] was gan.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 337. A feure, Þat taketh me al a twelf-moneth.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, VII. xix. 242. A twelue moneth will soon be done.
1588. Shaks., L. L. L., V. ii. 837. A tweluemonth and a day.
1640. Brome, Antipodes, I. vii. He has not drunke so deepe a draught this twelvmonth.
1766. Blackstone, Comm., II. ix. 141. A lease for ‘twelve months’ is only for forty eight weeks; but if it be for ‘a twelvemonth’ in the singular number, it is good for the whole year.
1876. Bancroft, Hist. U.S., IV. xv. 420. Not a twelve-month passed away without a massacre of the pioneers.
β. [c. 1305. 11000 Virgins, in E. E. P. (1862), 68. Tuelmonþ & elleue wyke.]
13[?]. Cursor M., 1919 (Gött.). A tuelmoneth was gan.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 13230. A twelmond & two wekes.
[c. 1420. Chron. Vilod., 3148. Þe whyche was twolmonthe seke in þe palsy.]
1421. Coventry Leet Bk., 24. At the fourthe trespas to forswer the fredom of this Cite a twelmonyth & a day.
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (Camden), 12. The putting on of mi hat at problem, which I did not twelmunth nethir.
γ. 1477. Marg. Paston, in P. Lett., III. 215. He was not gladder of no thyng that he harde thys towlmonyth.
1535. St. Papers Hen. VIII., II. 287. He would not haue come in this tolmont, at the least.
1596. in Spalding Club Misc., I. 85. I sall giwe breid to my bairnis this towmound.
1726. Ramsay, Verses on Last Leaf, ii. Thrice fifty and sax towmonds neat.
a. 1774. Ferguson, Election Poems (1845), 42. For towmonths twa their saul is lent.
1785. Burns, Cottar’s Sat. Night, xi. ’Twas a towmond auld, sin’ lint was i’ the bell.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxxix. [xl]. There will be less scathe amang us; mine owsen hae been reckan this towmont.
b. Following and qualifying a date, in such phrases as that day († a) twelvemonth, Michaelmas was a twelvemonth, Easter come twelvemonth: = a year before or after…. (see BE v. 20, COME v. 35 b).
c. 1290. S. Eng. Leg., I. 178/15. In þat dai a twelf monþe ore louerd … turnde water to win.
c. 1400. trans. Higden (Rolls), VII. 521 (MS. β). This day a twelve monthe the same houre whanne y schal dye, he schal dye.
1430–1. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 368. To been arezed and paied be the Fest of Ester come tuelfemonethe next.
1473–4. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 63. For schone … fra Michelmes wes a tuelfmoneth to the xxiiij day of Nouember last bipast.
1545. in Leadam, Court Requests (Selden Soc.), 187. Abowte our Ladys day in Lent was a Twelmonethe.
1586. Burgh Rec. Edinb. (1882), IV. 464. The pest wer in the town as it wes this tyme tolmowth.
1667. in Verney Mem. (1907), II. 260. [They will pay no rent] till Christmas come twelvemonth.
1674. Essex Papers (Camden), I. 182. Discharging ye Twelvemonths Arrear … ye paymt of wch ought to have begun at Christmass last was twelvemonth.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 435, ¶ 3. When I was at my Friend Sir Roger de Coverley’s about this time Twelvemonth.
1715. Ramsay, Christ’s Kirk Gr., II. iii. Till this time towmond.
1802. Anna Seward, Lett. (1811), VI. 22. The added weakness entailed upon me by the yet unrecovered accident of spring-twelvemonth.
2. Twelvemonth(’s mind: a commemoration of a deceased person by celebration of masses, etc., a year after (or annually on the anniversary of) the day of his death or funeral. Cf. MONTH’S MIND. Obs. exc. Hist.
1428. E. E. Wills (1882), 82. Y wolle þat myne executours, vij yere after my decesse, holdyn twelf monthes mynde.
1538. MS. Acc. St. John’s Hosp., Canterb. For wast of tapers att ye twelmonths mynde iiij d.
1572. R. H., trans. Lauaterus’ Ghostes (1596), 211. Rites instituted by the Commandement of wandring soules, as Masses for the dead, vigils, prayers, and twelvemonths minds.
1829. Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 232. A solemn obiit anniversary, or twelve months mind.
3. attrib. (In quot. 1536 referring to the ‘twelvemonth’s mind’: see 2.)
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7339 (Cott.). Þai wit-in a tuel-moth stage, War put vte o þair heritage. Ibid. (13[?]), 21038 (Gött.). Þar he was in a tuelfmoth quile.
1536. Test. Ebor. (Surtees), VI. 53. At the daye of my berelay, at my vij daye, and at my twelve moneth daye.
1897. Mary Kingsley, W. Africa, 649. Engaging for twelve-month terms of work.
Hence † Twelvemonthing, a. (of a beast) twelve months old; sb. a beast, as a calf or colt, twelve months old; YEARLING; Twelvemonthly adv., every twelve months, yearly, annually.
1551. in Longm. Mag., April (1905), 531. viii twelmonthyng bullocks … a twelmonting maire colt.
1600. in W. F. Shaw, Mem. Eastry (1870), 226. Item vij kine iij towyering beasts and fower twelve monthings.
1686. Plot, Staffordsh., 261. A Cow-calf … had another … 3 weeks and some odd days, before she was a Twelve-monthing.
1847–8. H. Miller, First Impr., x. (1857), 167. Six thousand loads of the young pole-wood … being used twelvemonthly.
