ultim- +

(Latin: end, last, final)


ad finem ultimum
To the final end.

Said to be the motto of the Canadian Space Agency.

antepenult
The third from the last syllable of a word; such as, the antepenult is stressed in the word "superfluous" or in the word "antediluvian".

It may also be considered the syllable of a word that precedes the penult.

antepenultimate
Anything that is the third from the end; an antepenult.
a primo ad ultimum
From first to last.
penult, penultima
The second to the last item in a series of things, especially the second to the last syllable of a word [from Latin paene, "almost" + ultimus, "last"].
penultimate
Second to the last in a series or sequence; relating to a penult.
ultima
The last or final syllable of a word.
ultimacy
The quality or state of being ultimate.
Ultima forsan.
It's later than you think; literally, "Perhaps the last".

These words are inscribed on some clocks to indicate that the moment of death; indeed, the moment of eternal judgment, may be at hand. The wise person treats every hour as though it were his/her last.

ultima ratio
1. The final argument. This phrase has literal applications, for example, "Your fourth drunk-driving citation is the ultima ratio for suspension of your driver's license."
2. The final sanction; the last argument; the last resort; the means last to be resorted to.
ultima ratio regum
The final argument of kings. Louis XIV of France, recognized that force is the final argument, so he directed that his cannons carry the engraving "ultima ratio regum" (1650). As a result, this phrase usually signifies "war" or "the use of military weapons; force". The phrase was adopted in the form of "Ultima ratio regis" for the same purpose which appears on cannon cast for Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, c. 1742.
Ultima semper expectanda dies homini, dicique beatus ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet.
Man's last day must ever be awaited, and none to be counted happy until his death, until his last funeral rites are paid.
ultimate
1. At last, finally, or at the end. The last in the train of progression or sequence tended toward by all that precedes; arrived at as the last result; final; farthest; utmost; extreme; conclusion.
2. Existing as an underlying reality, when all other things are disregarded; as, the ultimate truth.
3. Informal usage: the greatest, most nearly perfect, or highest in quality.
ultimately
1. In the end, as the culmination of a process or event.
2. Finally; at last; in the end.
ultima Thule
1. Figuratively any distant frontier or remote goal.
2. The "end of the world" or to the "final edge" of the earth.

Ancient Greek mariners believed that the northern end of the world was an island called Thule, said to be six days' sailing distance from Britain.

The precise location of Thule is not known today, but ultima Thule, mentioned in Virgil's Georgics, survives as a useful expression for describing any place whose appearance gives one the feeling of standing at the end of the world. Maybe it was one of the Shetland Islands.

It may be of interest to note that the current list of Chemical Elements has an element named for this unknown "end of the world": thulium; symbol, Tm; atomic number, 69; which was discovered by Per Teodor Cleve in 1879.


Links to related end words Related "end" units: fin-, term-.


If there are any numbers below, use them to see other pages in this unit.

1 2 3 Next

Showing page 1 out of 3 pages of 32 words or word groups.

Back to Index | Search Box | Main Index

The Main-Word Info page

The + sign at the end of a unit title means all of the words in that unit have definitions.

Directory of special content and topics

Do you want to help to make this dictionary bigger and better?

Subscribe to this FREE Focusing on Words Newsletter

E-mail Contact words@wordinfo.info




Google
 
Web Search Word Info Search