Definition:
: coming before the next to last in any series
Example:
"Hostess – You seemed embarrassed at meeting Mr. Smoykle, Mrs. Travnoo.
Guest – I thought you knew, Mrs. Longshore. He's my – my antepenultimate husband. " — Palatine Enterprise, 11 Oct. 1907
About the Word:
Sometimes you need to refer to the last thing in a series, and we all feel fairly comfortable in what we call that thing (the last). Sometimes you need to refer to the second to last thing in a series, and you have a need to sound pedantic while doing so; in such cases you may refer to the penultimate. But what of those times when you need to refer to the third to the last thing, sound pedantic, and also utterly confuse the people with whom you are speaking? For those occasions you may use antepenultimate.
