postern

See also: Postern

English

Etymology

From Old French posterne, alteration of posterle, from Late Latin posterula (“back door”), from Latin posterus (“later”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɒst(ə)n/, /ˈpəʊst(ə)n/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑstɚn/, /ˈpoʊstɚn/

Noun

postern (plural posterns)

1. A back gate, back door, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “ij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XII:

     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

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 52:

     He by a privy postern took his flight.

   • c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:

     Out at the postern, by the abbey wall.

2. (archaic) By extension, a separate or hidden way in or out of a place, situation etc.
3. (historical, military) A subterranean passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks.
   • 1850, Dennis Hart Mahan, Summary of the Course of Permanent Fortification and of the Attack and Defence of Permanent Works:

     The postern of the enceinte leads through the middle of the curtain, descending from the plane of sight to the ditch

Translations

secondary gateway

• Bulgarian: заден вход (zaden vhod)
• Catalan: poterna (ca) f
• Dutch: achterdeur (nl), achterpoort (nl), zijingang (nl), zijdeur (nl)
• French: poterne (fr) f
• German: Hintertür (de) f, Hintertor n
• Italian: porta secondaria f
• Portuguese: poterna f
• Russian: за́дняя дверь f (zádnjaja dverʹ)
• Spanish: poterna f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} postierla f
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} portillo (es) m, ^{(please verify)} postigo (es) m, ^{(please verify)} poterna f

Adjective

postern (comparative more postern, superlative most postern)

1. Situated at the rear; posterior.

Translations

situated at the rear

• Bulgarian: заден (bg) (zaden)
• Dutch: achteraangelegen
• Russian: за́дний (ru) (zádnij)

See also

• Shottle and Postern

Anagrams

• reptons, pronest, Preston, Reptons

Swedish

Noun

postern

1. definite singular of poster

Anagrams

• portens, prosten, sporten, torpens