Letztere

Letztere is a German term used as a demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning the latter or the last-mentioned item. It refers to the second item in a pair or to the final item in a sequence after two or more elements have been discussed. In practice, Letztere is often used in formal or written German to contrast with Erste/Erstere, which mean the former.

Etymology and related forms: Letztere is derived from letze, meaning last, with a pronoun-like ending. It forms a standard pair with Erstere (the former) and is part of a set of ordinal pronouns commonly found in academic, legal, or journalistic writing. The corresponding plural form Letzteren can refer to the latter of several items or to the latter ones in a group, while Letzteres and Letztere can appear depending on stylistic choices and the syntactic role.

Usage: Letztere is favored in formal contexts and when two or more items have already been named or implied. It can function as a pronoun replacing a noun (the latter) or as an adjective modifying a subsequent noun, though it is more common as a pronoun. It is less common in everyday spoken German, where one might simply say “the other one” or repeat the noun.

Examples:

- Beide Optionen wurden geprüft. Erstere war teurer; Letztere war praktikabler.

- Die ersten zwei Vorschläge waren unklar; Letztere erfüllt die Anforderungen besser.

See also:

- Erstere (the former)

- Erstgenannte / Letztgenannte (the first named / last named)

Letztere thus serves as a concise, formal way to reference the second or last item in a developed comparison.