antepenult

American  

[an-tee-pee-nuhlt, -pi-nuhlt] / ˌæn tiˈpi nʌlt, -pɪˈnʌlt /

noun

1. the third syllable from the end in a word, as te in antepenult.

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antepenult British  

/ ˌæntɪpɪˈnʌlt /

noun

1. the third last syllable in a word

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Other Word Forms

• preantepenult
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of antepenult

1575–85; < Latin ( syllaba ) antepaenultima the second (syllable) from the last, feminine of antepaenultimus standing before the penult. See ante-, penult

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

antepenult

If the penult is short, the antepenult is accented provided it be long: Sansthā́naka.

From The Little Clay Cart Mrcchakatika by Arthur William Ryder

Words of more than two syllables ending in cate, date, gate, fy, tude, and ty preceded by a vowel usually accent the antepenult, as dep′recate, etc.

From The Art Of Writing & Speaking The English Language Word-Study and Composition & Rhetoric by Sherwin Cody

Unfortunately the music of the chorus was moulded on the Italian text, and each verse ended with the accent on the antepenult, which occurs frequently in German and Italian, but never in French.

From Musical Memories by Edwin Gile Rich

But if the syllable still remains short after the enclitic has been added, it is not accented unless the word originally took the accent on the antepenult.

From New Latin Grammar by Charles E. (Charles Edwin) Bennett

Footnote: The Indian names are usually pronounced exactly as spelled, with each syllable distinctly sounded, and the principal accent on the penult, as in Ah-wah´-nee, or the antepenult, as in Yo-sem´-i-te.

From Indians of the Yosemite Valley and Vicinity Their History, Customs and Traditions by Galen Clark

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