“What’s your favorite number?” I was asked recently. Oh dear, define “favorite.” Color, I have no problem with: Black. Dessert? Tiramisu. Time of day? 5 am. Smell? Fennel. Tree? Dawn redwood. But number? Um, OK, I’ll go for 12.

Twelve, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Numerology: 12 is the largest number that can be expressed as a single syllable.

Anatomy: 12 pairs of ribs. 12 cranial nerves. The duodenum (= 12, Latin) so-called because it’s (more or less) 12 inches long.

Greek mythology: Hercules had 12 labors; 12 Titans, 12 Olympians…

Bible: 12 sons of Jacob, hence 12 tribes of Israel. 12 apostles (Matthias replacing Judas Matthias when Judas crapped out*); 12 Days of Christmas between Christmas and Epiphany, January 6 (hence Twelfth Night). 12 gates, 12 stars, 12 precious stones, and 12 angels (Book of Revelations).

[* That is, Judas “…went and hanged himself” (per Matthew) OR “…falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out” (per Acts). This discrepancy was enough for theologian C.S. Lewis to reject the historical truth of the Bible.]

Law: 12 jurors (hence 12 Angry Men), derived from Aeschylus in the Eumenides, in which goddess Athena summons twelve citizens to sit as jury.

Arthurian legend: 12 knights at the Round Table; 12 battles against Saxon invaders.

Computer: 12 function keys (F1 to F12).

Measurement: 12 inches in a foot. 12 pennies in a shilling (old UK currency). 12 hours on a clock face. 12 months in a year.

Astronomy: 12 full lunations (time interval between successive full moons) in a solar year; 12 years for Jupiter to go through the 12 zodiac signs. 12 Chinese zodiac (animal signs) years.

Norse mythology: Odin has 12 sons.

Gaming: 12 value in craps = craps, shooter loses.

Miscellaneous: 12 stars on EU flag. 12 steps and 12 traditions (AA etc.). 12 men walked on the moon. 12 eggs in a carton. The US has 12 Federal Reserve Districts. 12 sub-heads for this column.

The word itself derives from the old English twelf, literally “two left” (over 10).

Similarly with eleven, hence “elevenses” (that is, morning recess at school, if you’re a Brit). In England in the 1950s, our elevenses included drinking one third of a pint of whole milk from a glass bottle. (American audiences may have noticed that Paddington Bear and Winnie-the-Pooh and Hobbits all enjoy their elevenses.)

If you made it this far: (a) What have I missed? (b) What’s your favorite number?