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Glite Dictionary
penult

penult

9.9
The second-to-last part of a word that you say, for example the 'na' in banana
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛnʌlt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : penúltima
  • When analyzing word stress, it's important to identify the penult before the last syllable.

Examples

  • Most people haven't even heard of it, mispronounce its name (the accent is on the penult), and assume you are talking about the Dominican Republic, the modern name for the eastern half of Hispaniola (Columbus landed there on the first voyage and left an ill-fated colony).

    Academic text (1990)

  • In the word 'banana', the penult is the second syllable 'na'.

  • In the phrase 'intermediate', the penult is 'me', which carries the primary stress.

Synonyms

penultimate
vspenult
  • Specialized
1 7.5

The next to last syllable in a word

is focused on stress and pronunciation rather than general analysis
penultima
vspenult
  • Specialized
9.9

The syllable before the last one in a word

is used for studying stress and sound rather than mere counting

Surface Forms

penult singular
penults plural

Morphology

penult = penultimate (transparent) = pen + ult

The form 'penult' is a straightforward clipping of 'penultimate' and preserves the same meaning, so the relation to its immediate base is clear to learners who know 'penultimate'.

Etymology

Penult comes from penultimate, which is made of paene 'almost' and ultimus 'last', the same root as the English ultimate, so penult means 'almost the last', the second-to-last syllable just before the final one.