# Before the penultimate **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198 "2006-03-20T21:34:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/1 "2006-03-20T21:34:43Z")
OK, are there words for things coming before the ultimate and penultimate items in a list. Is there such a word as the pen-penultimate or did I just make that up? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/2 "2006-03-20T21:37:56Z")
The one before the next to the last in a series: antepenultimate. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/3 "2006-03-20T22:19:55Z")
D’oh! \*\*Peak Banana \*\* beat me to it! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/4 "2006-03-20T22:23:23Z")
> [@Peak Banana](#): > > The one before the next to the last in a series: antepenultimate. Anything before that is preantepenultimate. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/5 "2006-03-20T23:22:33Z")
So is an appetizer eaten before the salad a preantepasto? ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/6 "2006-03-21T00:18:44Z")
This thread reminds me of my father’s predilection for post-prandial repasts. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/7 "2006-03-21T00:57:55Z")
Perhaps one of our musically gifted members could set “pre-antepenultimate” to a tune, preferably using hemidemisemiquavers? ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/8 "2006-03-21T01:32:12Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Perhaps one of our musically gifted members could set “pre-antepenultimate” to a tune, preferably using hemidemisemiquavers? Tried it. You owe me for a replacement harmonica. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/9 "2006-03-21T22:20:21Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Perhaps one of our musically gifted members could set “pre-antepenultimate” to a tune, preferably using hemidemisemiquavers? Just shoehorn it into Flanders and Swann’s “Madeira, M’dear” somehow. Then there flashed through her mind what her mother had said With her antepenultimate breath “Oh my child, should you look on the wine that is red Be prepared for a fate worse than death” ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/10 "2006-03-21T22:56:55Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > So is an appetizer eaten before the salad a preantepasto? Or a proantipasto? ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/11 "2006-03-21T22:59:57Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Or a proantipasto? Isn’t that just a salad that’s lost its amateur standing? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/12 "2006-03-23T00:03:51Z")
According to some folks, the night before Christmas Eve is Christmas Adam (because Adam came first.) In some competitions, the “second runner-up” will be announced before second place. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/13 "2006-03-23T02:24:58Z")
> [@LiveOnAPlane](#): > > Tried it. You owe me for a replacement harmonica. 😉 “Lovely!”, she said, giggling, in the aprespenultitimate aftermath. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/before-the-penultimate/349198/14 "2006-03-23T02:27:47Z")
Yikes, please send that extry T to Gaudere… am sure she can use it to use for some Time Out or another…