lultimo

Lultimo is the contracted form used in Italian to express the meaning of the definite article combined with the adjective ultimo, typically translated as "the last" or "the latest." The form shown with an apostrophe, l'ultimo, is the result of elision before a vowel. In practice, l'ultimo can precede a noun or function as part of a longer noun phrase, as in l'ultimo giorno, l'ultimo anno, or l'ultima volta, depending on gender and the initial letter of the following word.

Etymology and forms: The word ultimo comes from Latin ultimus, meaning farthest or last. In modern Italian it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: l'ultimo (masculine singular before a vowel), l'ultima (feminine singular before a vowel), gli ultimi (masculine plural), le ultime (feminine plural). The determiner l' changes to l' before vowel-initial elements, while the underlying article il or lo remains the same for other contexts.

Usage: L'ultimo is used to denote position in a sequence (the final item) or to indicate the most recent in time. It appears in everyday language, journalism, and literature. As a pronoun, l'ultimo can stand for the last one in a clause, for example: L'ultimo che arriva paga. The adjective can also be placed before the noun, requiring elision of the preceding article when the first word is vowel-initial, as in l'ultimo giorno or l'ultima volta.

See also: Italian definite articles, Italian grammar, Elision in Italian.