Postern

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Postern \Pos"tern\, n. [OF. posterne, posterle, F. poterne, fr.
     L. posterula, fr. posterus coming after. See {Posterior}.]
     1. Originally, a back door or gate; a private entrance;
        hence, any small door or gate.
        [1913 Webster]
  


              He by a privy postern took his flight. --Spenser.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Out at the postern, by the abbey wall. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Fort.) A subterraneous passage communicating between the
        parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the
        interior of the outworks. --Mahan.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Postern \Pos"tern\, a.
     Back; being behind; private. "The postern door." --Dryden.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  postern
       n : a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  66 Moby Thesaurus words for "postern":
     French door, aft, after, aftermost, afterpart, afterpiece, archway,
     back, back door, back seat, back side, backward, barway, behind,
     breech, bulkhead, carriage entrance, cellar door, cellarway, door,
     doorjamb, doorpost, doorway, front door, gate, gatepost, gateway,
     hatch, hatchway, heel, hind, hind end, hind part, hinder,
     hindermost, hindhand, hindhead, hindmost, lintel, occiput, porch,
     portal, porte cochere, posterior, propylaeum, pylon, rear,
     rear end, rearmost, rearward, retrograde, reverse, scuttle,
     side door, stern, stile, storm door, tail, tail end, tailpiece,
     threshold, tollgate, trap, trap door, turnpike, turnstile