última

Última is the feminine singular form of the Spanish adjective último, used to indicate something that is final, most recent, or occurring last in a sequence. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies (la última vez, las últimas noticias). As an ordinal, it corresponds to the English “last” or “final,” and its sense can shift slightly toward “latest” when referring to recent developments or items in a series.

Etymology and range: último comes from Latin ultimus, meaning outermost or farthest, and over time acquired the meanings of end, final, and most recent in time. In contemporary usage, última mainly functions to qualify nouns related to time, order, or degree, such as timeframes (última hora, última semana), positions in a sequence (la última pregunta), or status (la última versión, la última moda).

Common usages and phrases: La última hora is widely used to denote breaking news. Otras expresiones frecuentes incluyen la última vez, la última oportunidad, la última temporada, la última década y la última generación. In headlines and informal speech, última often emphasizes actualidad o proximidad temporal, meaning the most recent or the near-present rather than simply the tail end of a sequence.

Notes on use: Because última is gendered, it must agree with the noun (la última nota, las últimas notas; el último día, los últimos días). While primarily an adjective, it can appear in colloquial contexts as a stand-alone reference to the most recent item when the surrounding context makes the noun understood.

In summary, última denotes finality or recency, with strong emphasis on the most recent instance in a given context.