3️⃣ Third from last 🔤 Third-last syllable

antepenultimate

1 9.9

Third syllable from the end of a word

noun
/ˌæntɪpɪˈnʌltɪmɪt/

Specialized

: antepenúltima

To find the antepenultimate in ‘independent’, count backwards three syllables from the end.

Examples

In English poetry, stress often falls on the antepenultimate syllable of certain words.
The antepenultimate syllable is crucial for pronunciation.
When saying the word ‘photography,’ the antepenultimate syllable is ‘tog’.
What is the antepenultimate syllable of 'computer'?
In the word 'fantastic,' the antepenultimate syllable is 'tas.'
The professor explained that 'photograph' has 'to' as its antepenultimate syllable.
To find the antepenultimate syllable, count back three syllables from the end of the word.

Synonyms

antepenultima

vsantepenultimate

Specialized

9.9

The third syllable from the end of a word when you count backwards

is the same in meaning but uses a different word form

antepenult

vsantepenultimate

Specialized

9.9

The third syllable from the end of a word

is the same in meaning but is a shorter alternative form

Surface Forms

antepenultimate singular

antepenultimates plural

Morphology

antepenultimate = penultimate (transparent) = ante + penultimate

The noun sense names the position obtained by adding 'ante-' (before) to 'penultimate' (second to last), so the morphological relation is directly interpretable.

Etymology

Antepenultimate is formed from ante- 'before' and penultimate 'almost last', so as a noun it names the 'third from the end' syllable in a word.