ZebraWords.com - The Definition of 'Postern', Synonyms of 'Postern' & More on 'Postern'

1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)

postern
    n 1: a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle

2. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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

3. The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

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]

Thesaurus Results for Postern:

1. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

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

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