last but one

English

**English numbers ^{(edit )}**
← 1	2	3 → ^{[a], [b], [c], [d]}
Cardinal : two Ordinal : second Abbreviated ordinal: 2nd Latinate ordinal: secondary Reverse order ordinal: second last , second to last , second from last , last but one Latinate reverse order ordinal: penultimate Adverbial : two times , twice Multiplier : twofold Latinate multiplier: double Distributive : doubly Germanic collective: pair , twosome Collective of n parts: doublet , couple , couplet Greek or Latinate collective: dyad Metric collective prefix: double- Greek collective prefix: di- , duo- Latinate collective prefix: bi- Fractional : half Metric fractional prefix: demi- Latinate fractional prefix: semi- Greek fractional prefix: hemi- Elemental: twin , doublet Greek prefix: deutero- Number of musicians: duo , duet , duplet Number of years: biennium Quantile : median

Adjective

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last but one (not comparable )

(now chiefly UK ) Penultimate, next to last, immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

Usage notes

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In addition to the Latinate penultimate , the traditional English expressions for this idea were last but one and (less often) second last . Following the 1920s, American use has favored next to last to the point that last but one now functions as a Britishism. While last but one continues to be somewhat more popular in Britain, next to last, second to last , etc. have been gaining in popularity.