What is a term to refer something in the middle of a list just like "former" and "latter" is used in a list containing two things?

In a sentence, if someone says the former, they are talking about the first thing they listed, and says the latter for the last thing they listed. What would be the term to refer something in the middle of a list? Consider the following two scenarios:

I like to eat burgers and hot dogs, although I like to eat the former more.

I like to eat burgers, hot dogs and ribs, although I like to eat the __ more.


Solution 1:

Counting from the beginning, the second. In a list of three things, the things are the first, second, and third.

It would be less common, but possible, to count back from the end. The thing at the end is the last. Before it is the next to last.

Another, even less common, way to count back from the end derives from Latin: ultimate, penultimate, antepenultimate. (However, when you are identifying the final stressed syllable of a Latin word, this is what you would normally use.)

Solution 2:

Linguistic accuracy and correctness apart, the common way of expressing this reference is with the phrases first-mentioned, (ordinal)-mentioned, and last-mentioned. The suffix -mentioned too could be elided.

If I like burgers best,

I like to eat burgers, hot dogs and ribs, although I like (to eat) the first(-mentioned) most. — (better say most among the three, right?)

There could be other ways of accomplishing this, though.