postern
Americannoun
-
a back door or gate.
-
a private entrance or any entrance other than the main one.
adjective
noun
adjective
Etymology
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The young fish, known as parr, have been spawned in the River Ecclesbourne, near the site of the former Postern Mill in Turnditch.
From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025
Police have said people who wish to volunteer on Wednesday should gather at Postern Hill in Savernake Forest, wear suitable clothing and footwear and bring refreshments and a mobile phone.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2011
"Key of the Postern Gate of the Pasha's Palace at Belgrade, 1810," "House Key from Nuremberg, 1567," were some of the descriptions I read.
From The Man with the Clubfoot by Williams, Valentine
This portion includes two of the old gates, the West Gate and the Blue Anchor Postern.
From England of My Heart : Spring by Hutton, Edward
‘And so he goes up the Postern Stair.’
From The Problem of 'Edwin Drood' A Study in the Methods of Dickens by Nicoll, W. Robertson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
