penult

[ pee-nuhlt, pi-nuhlt ]

/ ˈpi nʌlt, pɪˈnʌlt /

Save This Word!

noun

the next to the last syllable in a word.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Also pe·nul·ti·ma

[pi-nuhl-tuh-muh]. /pɪˈnʌl tə mə/.

Origin of penult

1530–40; <Latin paenultima (syllaba), contraction of paene ultima almost the last; see pen-, ultima

Words nearby penult

pentyl acetate, pentylenetetrazol, pentyl group, penuche, penuchle, penult, penultimate, penumbra, penumbral, penurious, penury

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use penult in a sentence

This anie eare may if he accent the antepenult matrmonie, or the penult matrimnie, or the last as matrimone.
Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue|Alexander Hume
If the penult is short, the antepenult is accented provided it be long: Sansthā́naka.
The Little Clay Cart|(Attributed To) King Shudraka
The accent is usually on the penult vowel, sometimes on the last, but never on the antipenult.
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 5|Robert Kerr
The Indian name is pronounced as if written “Thayendanauga,” with accent on penult.
The American Revolution|John Fiske

Names on which accents are not placed are accented on the penult.
Creation Myths of Primitive America|Jeremiah Curtin

British Dictionary definitions for penult

penult

penultima (pɪˈnʌltɪmə)

/ (ˈpɛnʌlt, pɪˈnʌlt) /

noun

the last syllable but one in a word

Word Origin for penult

C16: Latin paenultima syllaba, from paene ultima almost the last

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012