Ultimate means last or final. Many people know penultimate, which means second to last, but English can go further. Antepenultimate means third to last, and preantepenultimate means fourth to last.
These words are especially useful in grammar, poetry, and linguistics, where people often talk about a syllable’s position from the end of a word. For example, if the stress falls on the penultimate syllable, it falls on the second syllable from the end. If it falls on the antepenultimate syllable, it falls on the third from the end.
- Ultimate: the final chapter
- Penultimate: the chapter before the final one
- Antepenultimate: the third chapter from the end
- Preantepenultimate: the fourth chapter from the end
In everyday conversation, most people stop at penultimate. The longer forms are real and correct, but they are much less common. That rarity is part of what makes them memorable.