Crossword Genius

Translate 'meet up' into Latin before the end (11)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

penultimate

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'translate meet up into latin before' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.

'end' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'end' could be 'ultimate' (similar in meaning) and 'ultimate' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pen' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'the' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for penultimate that I've seen before include "Last-but-one" , "not quite at the rear" , "Last but one" , "Not quite the last" , "Next to last" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Independent.
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