Penults

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A syllable that is the second to last in a word
2. The plural form of a term referring to the penultimate element in a sequence
3. Denoting the position in a list that is right before the final item

Etymology: "Penults" is the plural of "penult", a noun that means the next-to-last item in a list or sequence. The singular is a clipping of "penultimate", which itself comes from Latin "paene", meaning "almost", and "ultimus", meaning "last". So the word is simply "almost last" with the longer form shortened to its first two syllables. Because "penult" is a shortened form, the plural "penults" is the form of that clipped noun, and it refers to more than one next-to-last item across several lists or sequences.