penultimate adjective alsopenult Etymology:penultimate from pene- + ultimate; penult from Latin paenultimus, penultimus, from paene-, pene- pene- + ultimus last — more at ultimate 1.: next to the last < the penultimate chapter of a book > < the penultimate phase of a war > 2.: of or relating to a penult < a penultimate accent > • pe·nul·ti·mate·lyadverb