Penultimate
/pɪˈnʌl.tɪ.mət/noun
Second to last; next to the last in a sequence.
Did you know?Its Latin prefix *paene-* means “almost,” so the word is built around the idea of standing right beside the final thing without crossing it.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
paene ultimus
“almost last”
Late Latin
Latin
paenultimus
“next-to-last”
Middle French
Old French
penultime
“next-to-last”
16th Century
English
penultimate
“next to the last”