Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The last syllable of a word.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Most remote; furthest; final; last.
- n. In grammar, the last syllable of a word.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Most remote; furthest; final; last.
- n. (Gram. & Pros.) The last syllable of a word.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the last syllable in a word
Etymologies
- Latin feminine of ultimus ("last"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin, feminine of ultimus, last; see ultimate. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Medieval maps used to use the phrase ultima Thule to denote anywhere far enough to lie beyond the "borders of the known world".”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph
“(by nature or position), and on either the penult or the antepenult, the circumflex is found only on long vowels, and (in words of more than one syllable) only on the penult, and then only in case the ultima is short.”
The Roman Pronunciation of Latin Why we use it and how to use it
“The deal European leaders worked out late Thursday holds out the possibility of bilateral loans (and IMF aid) to any troubled euro-zone country but only as an "ultima ratio" and "if market financing is insufficient.”
“The EU leaders agreed that any aid to Greece must be an "ultima ratio," or last resort, if it becomes clear Greece can't raise enough funds from the market and that loans wouldn't include any element of subsidy and would thus be in line with existing EU laws.”
The Wall Street Journal: Euro-Zone Ministers To Discuss Greece Bailout Sunday
“We need an agreement that as an ultima ratio it's possible to exclude a country from the euro zone if again and again it doesn't fulfill the requirements," Ms. Merkel said in an address to Germany's lower house of parliament.”
The Wall Street Journal: Merkel Says Euro-Zone Expulsion Should Be an Option
“The EU should use the time until that "ultima ratio" to press ahead with the treaty negotiations so that these conditions for standby credit can be applied to Greece.”
“Previously on BB: the original, and another, and another, y la ultima.”
“I am at the antipodes - the ultima of distance from you, and a continent and an ocean are between us.”
Letter from Young John Allen to Mrs. Pattillo,October 14, 1906
“It is really chutzpah ultima to ask if someone can win while he or she is winning!”
“Isn't it chutzpah ultima to ask if a candidate can win while she is winning?!”
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ultima.
alexz From a 1675 dictionary "the last touches of a pencil"
http://books.google.ca/books?id=CFBGAAAAYAAJ
Feb 20, 2013