antepenultimate

adj.
Coming before the next to the last in a series.

n.
An antepenult.

[From Late Latin antepaenultimus : Latin ante-, ante- + Latin paenultimus, next to last; see penult.]

Some words are just too good not to use. People looking up information about Clark Gable, whose birthday was not long ago, found an unexpected word treat:

"Gable's last film, 1961's The Misfits, was also the final film of Marilyn Monroe and the antepenultimate film of co-star Montgomery Clift."

Link: Clark Gable: Biography and Much More From Answers.com

Posted February 2, 2006.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

before the next to the last  (compare penultimate)

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the 3rd syllable of a word counting back from the end
  Synonym: antepenult

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The adjective antepenultimate has one meaning:

Meaning #1: third from last

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