penultimate

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   coming immediately before the last in a sequence; second to last

   The pistol fired its penultimate shot before finally falling silent.

2. 2
   noun

   the next-to-last item in a sequence, especially the next-to-last syllable of a word

   In the Latin word amicus, the penultimate is the syllable mi.

From Latin paenultimus ("almost last"), formed from paene ("almost") + ultimus ("last"), with the English adjectival ending -ate. Its literal structure is therefore "almost ultimate."

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