penultimate

penultimate: n. [pe-NUL'-tuh-mit] the next to the last member of a series; especially : the next to the last syllable of a word
Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged. Merriam-Webster, 2002. http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com (7 Feb. 2007).

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AVOID MISUSE

penultimate (= next-to-last) is sometimes misused for ultimate: "The classic surfer movie, "The Endless Summer," caught a new wave this week in Superior Court here. . . . In the complaint, Nynson v. Brown, 694180, Hynson claims that August was set up with a new car, a tavern, and eventually a surfboard business by Brown, with proceeds from the penultimate surfer movie." Marty Graham, "'Endless Summer' Surfer Says He Never Was Paid." L.A. Daily J., 13 Nov. 1995, at [page] 32. Could any movie be dubbed the next-to-last surfing movie of all time?--Garner, Brian. A Dictionary of Modern American Usage. New York: Oxford, 1998, page 487.

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