penult

American  

[pee-nuhlt, pi-nuhlt] / ˈpi nʌlt, pɪˈnʌlt /

Also penultima

noun

1. the next to the last syllable in a word.

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penult British  

/ pɪˈnʌlt, pɪˈnʌltɪmə, ˈpɛnʌlt /

noun

1. the last syllable but one in a word

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Etymology

Origin of penult

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

Example Sentences

Names accented on the penult have no accents printed on them; all others have printed accents.

From Project Gutenberg

Antepenult, an-te-pen′ult, n. the syllable before the penult or next ultimate syllable of a word: the last syllable of a word but two.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

In this book there are many Russian names of men and places; but the majority of names are accented on the penult.

From Project Gutenberg

To him, accent alone is the best of quantity, and the law of position cannot make the penult of carpēnter or majēsty long.

From Project Gutenberg

In Old Welsh and Old Breton, on the other hand, the final syllable, i.e. the primitive penult, received the stress, but in both languages the stress was shifted in the middle period to the penultimate.

From Project Gutenberg