(uncommon) A noun "penultimate" represents the next to last syllable of a word or metrical line, or the next to lowest card in a suit in card games.

(UK, in US usually formal, literary or scholarly) Next to last, second to last; immediately preceding the end of a sequence, list, etc.

(linguistics) Of or pertaining to a penult.

(mathematics, rare) Relating to or denoting an element of a related collection of curves that is arbitrarily close to a degenerate form.

(proscribed) pre-eminent, ultimate, best; par excellence, top-quality