Today I wanted to mess around with the word “ultimo.” I had a hunch it was used in English, but I wasn’t totally sure. So, I started by plugging “ultimo” into an online dictionary.
The first result told me that “ultimo” means “of or occurring in the month preceding the present.” Huh, that’s pretty specific. I read through a few more definitions, and they all said basically the same thing. It seemed like “ultimo” was a real word, but one that I’d never actually seen in the wild.
Next, I opened up a new document and tried writing a few sentences using “ultimo.”
- “The payment is due on the 15th of ultimo.”
- “As per your letter of the 2nd ultimo, I am enclosing a check.”
They sounded kind of formal and old-fashioned, but they seemed grammatically correct. I tried to think of places where I might encounter this word in real life. Maybe in some dusty old legal documents? Or perhaps in a really old book?
Then I got curious about where this word came from. A quick search told me that “ultimo” comes from the Latin word “ultimus,” which means “last.” Makes sense. It also said that the abbreviation “ult.” is sometimes used. I added that to my notes.
At this point, I felt like I had a decent grasp of the word “ultimo.” I wouldn’t say I’m going to start using it in everyday conversation, but it’s cool to know what it means. I might even try to impress my friends with my newfound vocabulary knowledge. Or maybe not, they might just think I’m weird.
Wrapping Up
So, that was my little adventure with the word “ultimo” today. I started with a simple question, did some digging, learned a few things, and ended up feeling a bit smarter. And that’s always a good feeling, right?
