n.
- The next to the last item in a series.
- 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.]
penult
Dictionary:
pe·nult (pē'nŭlt', pĭ-nŭlt')  also pe·nul·ti·ma
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(pĭ-nŭl'tə-mə)
n.
n.
| WordNet: penult |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
the next to last syllable in a word
Synonyms: penultima, penultimate
| Wikipedia: Penult |
In linguistics, the penult is the penultimate syllable of a word; that is, the second-to-last syllable. For example, the main stress falls on the penult in such English words as banána, and Mississíppi. The penult follows the antepenult and precedes the ultimate syllable. These terms are used in the study of languages in which the lexical stress of a word changes considerably depending on the case or declension of the word (e.g. Ancient Greek), and sometimes it is used in the discussion of lexical stress of poetry.
See also
- Barytone (syllable)
- Oxytone
- Paroxytone
- Perispomenon
- Preantepenult
- Proparoxytone
- Properispomenon
- Ultima (syllable)
- Stress (linguistics)
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 | properispomenon |
| penultimate |
| penultima |
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Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Penult". Read more |
