Penultimate: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Penultimate adjective. Second to last in a series.
How to say it
pih-NUL-tih-mut/pɪˈnʌltɪmət/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (NUL).
Penultimate in a sentence
The penultimate episode ends on a cliffhanger.
In 'banana', the stress falls on the penultimate syllable.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- second-to-last
- last but one
Careful
Penultimate means last but one, not 'the very best' or 'the ultimate'. The pen- is the Latin for almost, as in peninsula, almost an island.
Where penultimate comes from
From Latin paene, almost, and ultimus, last.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
In 'banana', the stress falls on the _____ syllable.
- viable
- nauseous
- penultimate
Show the answer
penultimate: In 'banana', the stress falls on the penultimate syllable.