penult
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Related to penults: antepenult
pe·nult
(pē′nŭlt′, pĭ-nŭlt′) also pe·nul·ti·ma (pĭ-nŭl′tə-mə)n.
1. The next to the last item in a series.
2. The next to the last syllable in a word.
[Short for penultima, from Latin paenultima, feminine of paenultimus, next to last : paene, almost + ultimus, last; see ultimate.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
penult
(ˈpɛnʌlt; pɪˈnʌlt) orpenultima
n
(Grammar) the last syllable but one in a word
[C16: Latin paenultima syllaba, from paene ultima almost the last]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pe•nult
(ˈpi nʌlt, pɪˈnʌlt)n.
the next to the last syllable in a word.
[1530–40; < Latin paenultima (syllaba), contraction of paene ultima almost the last]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | penult - the next to last syllable in a word syllable - a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme; "the word `pocket' has two syllables" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005