postern

[ poh-stern, pos-tern ]

/ ˈpoʊ stərn, ˈpɒs tərn /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR postern ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a back door or gate.

a private entrance or any entrance other than the main one.

adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a postern.

Words nearby postern

posterior vein of left ventricle, posterior vein of septum pellucidum, posteriority, posterity, posterization, postern, postero-, posteroanterior, posteroexternal, posteroinferior, posterointernal

Origin of postern

1250–1300; Middle English posterne < Old French, variant of posterle < Late Latin posterula, diminutive of postera back door, noun use of feminine of posterus coming behind. See posterior, -ule

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for postern

The two women would sally forth by the postern door, and make for the forest.
The Lost Treasure of Trevlyn|Evelyn Everett-Green
Perhaps it was that identical cloak or gown which hung upon the arm of Bertram Lyngern, just outside the postern gate.
The White Rose of Langley|Emily Sarah Holt
The defenders, seeing their retreat cut off, fought with desperation; for the postern was occupied outside by a large body of men.
Annals of a Fortress|E. Viollet-le-Duc
Gerhardt stepped inside the postern, and Stephen beckoned him into an outhouse, at the moment untenanted.
One Snowy Night|Emily Sarah Holt

He found an entrance, hurried through well-known corridors to a postern through which he and Orestes had lounged a hundred times.
The Speaker, No. 5: Volume II, Issue 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for postern

postern

/ (ˈpɒstən) /

noun

a back door or gate, esp one that is for private use

adjective

situated at the rear or the side

Word Origin for postern

C13: from Old French posterne, from Late Latin posterula (jānua) a back (entrance), from posterus coming behind; see posterior, posterity

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

postern

noun

adjective

Words related to postern

Words nearby postern

Origin of postern

Examples from the Web for postern

British Dictionary definitions for postern

noun

adjective

Word Origin for postern