Does penultimate mean the very last? No! It means second to last, taking from the Latin word paene, meaning almost. It’s the same Latin root that gives us the word for that “almost island,” a peninsula. People misusing penultimate are overreaching with language. Instead, it’s best to write below your abilities and read above them. That’s the ultimate way to go. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Penultimate”
Well, you have a way with words.
Hello, this is Joe. I’m from West Lafayette, Indiana.
Hi, Joe.
Welcome to the show.
Hi, Grant. Hi, Martha.
Howdy.
How are you?
Doing well. What can we do for you?
Well, I was wondering if you know or could explain why the word penultimate seems to be misused more often than it’s used correctly.
Okay.
You know, of course, it means next to last, but when I hear it used, and it’s usually in spoken or I suppose maybe more commonly now also on blogs and emails, it sounds like the user thinks it means ultra-ultimate or super-ultimate.
Exactly.
And I hear it that way an awful lot.
When I was teaching until a couple of years ago, my writing students would often misuse it that way.
So they say this is the penultimate example of whatever, and they mean…
Exactly. Yes, that’s it. It’s the penultimate example.
I get the feeling I’m supposed to be very impressed by that.
Right, right. And I think you’ve zeroed in on exactly the reason that people think it means super, hyper, ultra, ultimate, the most ultimate there could ever possibly be.
Right.
But the problem here, Joe, is that they haven’t taken Latin.
Because if they took Latin, then they would know that the P-E-N there means almost.
So the penultimate is the next to last.
You see that also in the word peninsula.
The word insula in Latin means island.
And so a peninsula is an almost island.
I did not know that.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, insula meaning island like insulate and that kind of thing.
So that’s the way to remember it.
You say you used to have students?
Yeah, for a while I taught some writing classes at the university.
I enjoyed that very much.
I think you hit on something when you said that they used it to sound impressive because this strikes me as overreach on the part of many writers.
They are writing beyond their understanding and above their abilities.
It’s a common trait with beginning writers especially.
Yes, it is. It’s the same in journalism as well.
The best advice that I’ve ever heard was to write below your abilities, but to read above your abilities.
Oh, I like that.
Yeah, that’s good.
Yeah.
Thanks for calling, Joe.
Hey, Joe, thanks a lot.
My pleasure.
Bye-bye.
Take care. Bye-bye.
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