Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for postern

postern

[ poh-stern, pos-tern ]

noun

  1. a back door or gate.
  2. a private entrance or any entrance other than the main one.


adjective

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

postern

/ ˈpɒstən /

noun

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

adjective

  1. situated at the rear or the side
“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
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of postern1

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
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of postern1

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

Example Sentences

By then they were more than halfway to the hospice, but it was nearly dark when they reached St. Mark’s and were admitted by the porter at the postern gate.

The postern was closed again, the iron door was barred and piled inside with stones.

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

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.

"Y'Grace," he said quietly, "the boys caught a groom and two maidservants trying to sneak out a postern with three of the king's horses."

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


posterizationposter paint