ultimo

See also: ultimò, ultimó, ùltimo, and último

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: ŭlʹtĭmō, IPA^(key): /ˈʌltɪməʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

First attested in 1582; from Latin ultimō (elliptically for ultimō diē or ultimō mēnse), masculine ablative singular form of ultimus (“last”); cognate with Dutch ultimo, the German ultimo, the Swedish ultimo, etc.

Adjective

ultimo (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) On the last day (of a specified month).

Alternative forms

• vltimo (obsolete)

Coordinate terms

• instant (“of this month”)
• proximo (“of next month”)

Adverb

ultimo (not comparable)

1. Of last month.
   • 1771 November 20, Alexander Hamilton, “From Alexander Hamilton to Fraser, Grant and Baillie, 20 November 1771”, in Harold C. Syrett, editor, The Papers of Alexander Hamilton‎^[1], volumes 1, 1768–1778, New York: Columbia University Press, published 1962, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 15:

     I receivd your favour of the 18th Ultimo in due time & beg pardon for not having answerd it before.

Alternative forms

• Ultimo (obsolete)
• ult. (abbreviation)
• ulto (contraction)

References

• “‖ Ultimo, a. and adv.” listed on pages 12–13 of volume X, part I (Ti–U), § ii (U) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1926]
• “‖ultimo, a. and adv.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]

Etymology 2

First attested in 1622; from either the Italian ultimo, or the Portuguese último, or the Spanish ultimo; compare ultime.

Noun

ultimo (plural not attested)

1. (obsolete, rare) = The ultimum; the final, ultimate point of a sequence.

References

• “† Ultimo, sb.” listed on page 12 of volume X, part I (Ti–U), § ii (U) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1926]
• “†ultimo, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈul.ti.mo/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ultimo
• Hyphenation: ùl‧ti‧mo

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin ultimus.

Adjective

ultimo (feminine ultima, masculine plural ultimi, feminine plural ultime, superlative ultimissimo)

1. last

   Synonym: sezzo (archaic)

   Antonym: primo

2. recent, current
3. pertaining to last month

Noun

ultimo m (plural ultimi, feminine ultima)

1. last one

   Synonym: sezzo (archaic)

   Antonym: primo

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ultimo

1. first-person singular present indicative of ultimare

Related terms

• da ultimo
• fino all'ultimo
• negli ultimi tempi
• ultimamente
• ultimare
• ultimativo
• ultimissima
• ultimogenito

Notes

One can count from the last in Italian: ultimo (“the last”), penultimo (“second-to-last”), terzultimo/terz'ultimo (“third-to-last”), and so on with the ordinal numeral and the word ultimo; in common usage, anything earlier than terz'ultimo would not be used.

Jocularly, one can also find postultimo to mean "further than last", i.e. (ω+1)^th.

Further reading

• “ultimo”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• mutilo, mutilò, mutoli, tumoli

Ladino

Etymology 1

Adjective

ultimo (Hebrew spelling אולטימו)

1. alternative spelling of último
   • 2005, Aki Yerushalayim‎^[2], volumes 26–28, page 4:

     Ma mizmo en estos momentos de fiesta i alegria, no podimos evitar de apuntar ke ainda semos enfrentados por graves peligros, entre otras en el kampo finansiario tambien, komo konsekuensa de las restriksiones de estos ultimos anyos en los budjetos de las institusiones kulturales en Israel i de la difikultad kada vez mas grande, de obtener el ayudo del kual tenemos menester.

     Yet even in these moments of joy and happiness, we could not avoid emphasizing that we remained confronted by grave dangers, among others in the financial camp as well, as a consequence of the restrictions of these last years in Israel’s institutions’ culturals budgets and from the worse difficulty every time of getting help for what we need.

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

ultimo (Hebrew spelling אולטימו)

1. first-person singular present indicative of ultimar
2. third-person singular preterite indicative of ultimar

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos

Proto-Italic *oltm̥mos

Latin ultimus

Old Latin -ōider.

Latin -ō

Latin ultimō

From ultimus (“last, final”) +‎ -ō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈʊɫ.tɪ.moː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈul.ti.mo]

Adjective

ultimō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of ultimus

Verb

ultimō (present infinitive ultimāre, perfect active ultimāvī, supine ultimātum); first conjugation

1. to come to an end, be at the last

Conjugation

   Conjugation of ultimō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	ultimō		ultimās		ultimat		ultimāmus		ultimātis		ultimant
	imperfect	ultimābam		ultimābās		ultimābat		ultimābāmus		ultimābātis		ultimābant
	future	ultimābō		ultimābis		ultimābit		ultimābimus		ultimābitis		ultimābunt
	perfect	ultimāvī		ultimāvistī		ultimāvit		ultimāvimus		ultimāvistis		ultimāvērunt, ultimāvēre
	pluperfect	ultimāveram		ultimāverās		ultimāverat		ultimāverāmus		ultimāverātis		ultimāverant
	future perfect	ultimāverō		ultimāveris		ultimāverit		ultimāverimus		ultimāveritis		ultimāverint
passive	present	ultimor		ultimāris, ultimāre		ultimātur		ultimāmur		ultimāminī		ultimantur
	imperfect	ultimābar		ultimābāris, ultimābāre		ultimābātur		ultimābāmur		ultimābāminī		ultimābantur
	future	ultimābor		ultimāberis, ultimābere		ultimābitur		ultimābimur		ultimābiminī		ultimābuntur
	perfect	ultimātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	ultimātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	ultimātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	ultimem		ultimēs		ultimet		ultimēmus		ultimētis		ultiment
	imperfect	ultimārem		ultimārēs		ultimāret		ultimārēmus		ultimārētis		ultimārent
	perfect	ultimāverim		ultimāverīs		ultimāverit		ultimāverīmus		ultimāverītis		ultimāverint
	pluperfect	ultimāvissem		ultimāvissēs		ultimāvisset		ultimāvissēmus		ultimāvissētis		ultimāvissent
passive	present	ultimer		ultimēris, ultimēre		ultimētur		ultimēmur		ultimēminī		ultimentur
	imperfect	ultimārer		ultimārēris, ultimārēre		ultimārētur		ultimārēmur		ultimārēminī		ultimārentur
	perfect	ultimātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	ultimātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		ultimā		—		—		ultimāte		—
	future	—		ultimātō		ultimātō		—		ultimātōte		ultimantō
passive	present	—		ultimāre		—		—		ultimāminī		—
	future	—		ultimātor		ultimātor		—		—		ultimantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		ultimāre			ultimārī			ultimāns			—
future		ultimātūrum esse			ultimātum īrī			ultimātūrus			ultimandus
perfect		ultimāvisse			ultimātum esse			—			ultimātus
future perfect		—			ultimātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		ultimātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		ultimandī		ultimandō		ultimandum		ultimandō		ultimātum		ultimātū

References

• “ultimo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Anagrams

• mutilo

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /uwˈt͡ʃĩ.mu/ [uʊ̯ˈt͡ʃĩ.mu]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ulˈti.mu/ [uɫˈti.mu]

• Hyphenation: ul‧ti‧mo

Verb

ultimo

1. first-person singular present indicative of ultimar

Etymology 2

Adjective

ultimo (feminine ultima, masculine plural ultimos, feminine plural ultimas, not comparable)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1911 in Portugal) of último
   • 1938, Graciliano Ramos, “Festa [Celebration]”, in Vidas Seccas [Barren Lives]‎^[3], Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio Editora, page 115:

     Da ultima vez que se tinham encontrado houvera uma confusão de numeros, e Fabiano, com os miolos ardendo, deixara indignado o escriptorio do branco, certo que fôra enganado.

     The last time they had met, there had been a mix-up with numbers, and Fabiano, his mind burning, had left the white man’s office indignant, certain he had been deceived.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ulˈtimo/ [ul̪ˈt̪i.mo]
• Rhymes: -imo
• Syllabification: ul‧ti‧mo

Adjective

ultimo (feminine ultima, masculine plural ultimos, feminine plural ultimas)

1. obsolete spelling of último

Verb

ultimo

1. first-person singular present indicative of ultimar

Tagalog

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-tm̥mos

Proto-Italic *oltm̥mos

Latin ultimuslbor.

Spanish últimobor.

Tagalog ultimo

Borrowed from Spanish último.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔultimo/ [ˌʔul.t̪ɪˈmo]
• Rhymes: -ultimo
• Syllabification: ul‧ti‧mo

Adjective

últimó (Baybayin spelling ᜂᜎ᜔ᜆᜒᜋᜓ)

1. last; final

Related terms

• ultimo puwesto

Adverb

últimó (Baybayin spelling ᜂᜎ᜔ᜆᜒᜋᜓ)

1. even; including

Related terms

• antepenultima
• ni ultimo

Noun

últimó (Baybayin spelling ᜂᜎ᜔ᜆᜒᜋᜓ)

1. (military) private

Further reading

• “ultimo”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “ultimo”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018