What is penultimate?

Penultimate means second to last. It is derived from the Latin word "paene" which means almost and "ultimate" which means last. Penultimate is often used to describe a position or an event that occurs just before the final one. For example, in a race, the penultimate lap is the second to last lap before the finish line. In a list of items, the penultimate item is the one that comes second to last. The term is also commonly used in literature to describe the second to last chapter or the second to last scene of a play or movie.