From Dictionary.com:
1. Next to the last
2. Of or relating to a penult, or the next to the last syllable in a word
From Wiktionary:
From Latin paenultimus, from paene (“almost”) + ultimus (“last”).
From Thoughtco.com:
The words penultimate and ultimate have related meanings, but they're not synonyms. As both an adjective and a noun, penultimate means next to the last. (Penultimate is not more ultimate than ultimate.) The adjective ultimate means last, final, elemental, fundamental, or maximum. As a noun, ultimate refers to a final point or result.
"Properly used, penultimate means 'next to last,' as the penultimate game of the season and the penultimate syllable in a word. It is sometimes used incorrectly where the word ultimate is called for, especially when meaning 'representing or exhibiting the greatest possible development or sophistication,' as in This car is the penultimate in engineering and design. This mistake may reflect the misconception that pen- is a prefix that acts as an intensifier of the word ultimate. But pen- actually derives from the Latin word paene, meaning 'almost.' (Pen- is also found in the word peninsula, which means, etymologically at least, 'almost an island.') People who know the correct meaning of penultimate reject its use as a synonym of ultimate and may be disposed to view the speaker or writer as ignorant or even pretentious."
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