Where does “penult” come from?
penult (English) comes from English penultimate, from English -ate, from Latin -ātus, from Proto-Italic -ātos, from Proto-Indo-European -éh₂tos — Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality.
penult (English): The next-to-last syllable of a word; The next to...
Definitions
- The next-to-last syllable of a word; The next to...
Ancestry of “penult”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | penultimate | Next to last, second to last; immediately... |
| 2 | English | -ate | having the specified thing; characterized by the... |
| 3 | Latin | -ātus | ed |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -ātos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -éh₂tos | Forms adjectives from nouns, indicating the possession of a thing or a quality |