penultima

noun

pen·​ul·​ti·​ma pi-ˈnəl-tə-mə 

: the second to last syllable of a word : penult

The penultima is stressed in the English word "gorilla."

In Hebrew … , the primary stress occurs most commonly by far on the ultima, i.e. the last syllable, or on the penultima, i.e. the syllable preceding the last.

—Paul Joüon et al.

… the original tone is shifted from the final syllable to the penultima …

—Friedrich Heinrich Wilhelm Gesenius et al.

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined above