What does postern mean?
Definitions for postern
ˈpoʊ stərn, ˈpɒs tərnpostern
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word postern.
Princeton's WordNet
posternnoun
a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle
Wiktionary
posternnoun
A back-gate, backdoor, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance.
posternnoun
By extension, a separate or hidden way in or out of a place, situation etc.
posternadjective
Situated at the rear; posterior.
Etymology: From posterna, and its likely sources, posterne, posterne, alteration of posterle, from posterula, from posterus.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Posternnoun
A small gate; a little door.
Etymology: poterne, Fr. posterne, Dutch; janua postica, Lat.
E’re dawning light
Discover’d had the world to heaven wide,
He by a privy postern took his flight,
That of no envious eyes he mote be spy’d. Fa. Queen.Go on, good Eglamour,
Out at the postern by the abby wall. William Shakespeare.By broken bywayes did I inward pass,
And in that window made a postern wide. Edward Fairfax.These issued into the base court through a privy postern, and sharply visited the assailants with halberds. John Hayward.
Great Britain hath had by his majesty a strong addition; the postern, by which we were so often entered and surprised, is now made up. Walter Raleigh, Essays.
The conscious priest, who was suborn’d before,
Stood ready posted at the postern door. Dryden.If the nerves, which are the conduits to convey them from without to the audience in the brain, be so disordered, as not to perform their functions, they have no postern to be admitted by, no other ways to bring themselves into view. John Locke.
A private postern opens to my gardens
Through which the beauteous captive might remove. Nicholas Rowe.
Wikipedia
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing defenders to make a sortie on the besiegers. Placed in a less exposed, less visible location, they were usually relatively small, and therefore easily defensible.
ChatGPT
postern
A postern is a back or side entrance, typically a small, hidden, or less conspicuous door or gate in a wall or fortification such as a castle. It is often used for escape or tactical purposes.
Webster Dictionary
Posternnoun
originally, a back door or gate; a private entrance; hence, any small door or gate
Posternnoun
a subterraneous passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks
Posternadjective
back; being behind; private
Etymology: [OF. posterne, posterle, F. poterne, fr. L. posterula, fr. posterus coming after. See Posterior.]
Wikidata
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location, allowing the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing defenders to make a sortie on the besiegers.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Postern
pōst′ėrn, n. a back door or gate: a small private door: (fort.) a covered passage between the main ditch and the outworks of a fort, usually closed by a gate.—adj. back: private. [O. Fr. posterne, posterle—L. posterula, a dim. from posterus.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
postern
A small passage constructed through some retired part of a bastion, or other portion of a work, for the garrison's minor communications with the town, unperceived by the enemy.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
postern
Is a passage usually vaulted, and constructed under the rampart, to afford a communication from the interior into the ditch. The passages from the covered way into the country are likewise called sally-ports, as they afford free egress and ingress to troops engaged in making a sally or sortie.
Matched Categories
Anagrams for postern »
Preston
reptons
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of postern in Chaldean Numerology is: 7
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of postern in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
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References
Translations for postern
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- poternaCatalan, Valencian
- Hintertor, HintertürGerman
- poternaSpanish
- poterneFrench
- porta secondariaItalian
- achteraangelegen, achterdeur, zijdeur, achterpoort, zijingangDutch
- posternPortuguese
- задний, [[заднийRussian
- 后代Chinese
Get even more translations for postern »
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"postern." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/postern>.
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