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Vinony

penultimate

adjective

  1. second-last
L10924 on Wikidata ↗

noun

No English definition recorded for this entry.

L325254 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /pɪˈnʌltɪmət/ / /pəˈnəltəmət/ / /pɪˈnʌltəmət/

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Latin paene Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Italic *-tm̥mos Proto-Italic *oltm̥mos Latin ultimus Latin paenultimus Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātuslbor. English -ate English penultimate From Latin paenultimus (“penultimate”) + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), from paene (“almost”) + ultimus (“last”). Equivalent to pene- + ultimate. Compare French pénultième.

  1. Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

    “[…] they [the sounds of an echo] next strike the ultimate secondary object, then the penultimate and antepenultimate; […]”

    “But it should frequently happen that offspring should resemble its penultimate rather than its latest phase, and should thus be more like a grand-parent than a parent.”

  2. Of or pertaining to a penult.
  3. Relating to or denoting an element of a related collection of curves that is arbitrarily close to a degenerate form.
  4. pre-eminent, ultimate, best; par excellence, top-quality

    “This Book is the Proud Purple Penultimate!!”

    “This treatment, where two therapists massage the body using warm oils infused with plant extracts, is truly the penultimate experience.”

noun

Etymology: From a substantivation of the above adjective. Equivalent to Latin paenultimus + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

  1. A penult, a next to last, particularly

    “Our Lutheran concern for the ultimates (the Gospel) has allowed us to neglect some of the penultimates (bodily healing), failing to stress the total implications of that ultimate Gospel.”

  2. A penult, a next to last

    “At Woodstock, the penultimate of August.”

  3. A penult, a next to last

    “Antepenultimate is that before the Penultimate, or the last but two.”

  4. A penult, a next to last
  5. A penult, a next to last

    “Penultimate, the. — Beginning with the lowest card but one of the suit you lead originally, if it contains more than four cards.”