Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
postern

postern

1 9.9
A small door at the back of a castle or fort to let people enter and leave secretly
  • noun
  • /ˈpɒstərn/
  • Archaic
: puerta trasera
  • Saxon guards stared in astonishment as the dog-boy bolted out of the postern and down the slope, followed by his hounds.
  • postern gate

Examples

  • "I will be on the postern balcony, not to be disturbed... unless there is some word from above."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Telling her guards to close the high postern, she turned back toward the keep, very much a prisoner of the world.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • "Bring the hounds to the upper postern."

    Fiction book (1999)

  • We arrived after dusk, and Myrddin left us in the wagon at Tintagel Castle's postern gate.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The soldier slipped through the postern to avoid detection by the enemies outside.

  • At midnight, she quietly exited through the postern to meet her secret companion.

  • He found the postern door hidden behind the ivy and opened it to escape the castle.

Synonyms

backdoor
vspostern
9 1.0

A door at the back of a building that people use as a second entrance

is smaller and often used for secret or private entry at the rear
wicket door
vspostern
8.3

A small opening in a larger gate or entrance for one person to pass through

is located at the rear and used for secret or private entry

Surface Forms

postern singular
posterns plural

Etymology

The word postern comes from the root post meaning 'after' or 'behind', so it originally named a gate at the back of a building; that's why a postern today means a small, often secret, back gate used for private entry or exit.