Postern
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A back gate, back door, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance, especially in a city wall or fortification.
"And as they cam hurlyng vnder the Castel where as sir launcelot lay in wyndowe / & sawe how two knyghtes layd vpon syr Blyaunt with their swerdes /[…]/ And thenne sir launcelot brake the chaynes fro his legges and of his armes /[…]/ & so sir launcelot ran out at a posterne / and there he mett with the two knyȝtes that chaced sir Blyaunt"
- 2 a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle wordnet
- 3 A separate or hidden way in or out of a place, situation etc. archaic, broadly
- 4 A subterranean passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks. historical
"The postern of the enceinte leads through the middle of the curtain, descending from the plane of sight to the ditch"
- 1 Situated at the rear; posterior.
Example
More examples"And as they cam hurlyng vnder the Castel where as sir launcelot lay in wyndowe / & sawe how two knyghtes layd vpon syr Blyaunt with their swerdes /[…]/ And thenne sir launcelot brake the chaynes fro his legges and of his armes /[…]/ & so sir launcelot ran out at a posterne / and there he mett with the two knyȝtes that chaced sir Blyaunt"
Etymology
From Old French posterne, alteration of posterle, from Late Latin posterula (“back door”), from Latin posterus (“later”).
Related phrases
More for "postern"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.