Definition

1. Noun:
   • A group or set of six: "half a dozen" refers specifically to the quantity six. It is a common phrase used to indicate exactly six items or units.

Usage

• The phrase "half a dozen" is used as a determiner or noun phrase to specify the number six. It is often interchangeable with the numeral "six" but carries a slightly more informal or conversational tone.
• It is typically used with plural countable nouns.

Examples

• As a determiner/noun phrase:
  • I need to buy half a dozen eggs from the store.
  • She invited half a dozen friends to her birthday party.
  • The recipe calls for half a dozen tomatoes.

Advanced Usage

• "six of one, half a dozen of the other": This is an idiom meaning two options or alternatives are essentially the same; there is no real difference between them.
  • Choosing the bus or the train is six of one, half a dozen of the other; they both take the same amount of time.

Variants and Related Words

• Half-dozen (adj/n): A hyphenated form, often used attributively.
  • A half-dozen roses were on the table.
• Six (n/adj): The numeral; a more direct synonym.
• Sextet (n): A group of six people or things, often used in musical or formal contexts.

Synonyms

• Six: The cardinal number.
• Sextet: A set of six.

Related Phrases

• A baker's dozen: Refers to thirteen, not six. This is a related idiomatic phrase for a specific quantity.
• A dozen: Refers to twelve. "Half a dozen" is literally half of this amount.

Notes

• The phrase is considered a single lexical unit (a noun phrase) representing a specific quantity. It is not typically broken down into the meanings of its individual words ("half", "a", "dozen") in this context.

Noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one