postern

American  

[poh-stern, pos-tern] / ˈpoʊ stərn, ˈpɒs tərn /

noun

1. a back door or gate.

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

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a postern.

postern British  

/ ˈpɒstən /

noun

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

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adjective

1. situated at the rear or the side

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

See Examples For:

postern

Upon being prompted, however, he went on: "Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to rest."

From Time Magazine Archive

But most of them opened their postern gates and let Mr. Jones come in with the money he was determined to inject into them.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a battered wooden postern under a slab of stone.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

He saw three gates during his wanderings—the main entrance with its gatehouse, a postern by the kennels, and a garden gate hidden behind a tangle of pale ivy.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Which left the Battlements Gate, a small arched postern in the inner wall.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin