postern
/ˈpoʊstəɹn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.79 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A back door or gate, side entrance, or other entrance distinct from the main one, especially one that is private or not obvious.
noun
A back door or gate, side entrance, or other entrance distinct from the main one, especially one that is private or not obvious.
noun
A back door or gate, side entrance, or other entrance distinct from the main one, especially one that is private or not obvious.
noun
A back door or gate, side entrance, or other entrance distinct from the main one, especially one that is private or not obvious.
Example Sentences
- "Euery houſe hath two doores, one into the ſtrete and a poſternne doore on the backſyde into the gardyne."
- "He by a priuy Poſterne tooke his flight, / That of no enuious eyes he more be ſpyde: / For doubtleſſe death enſevved, if any him deſcryde."
- "[G]oe on (good Eglamoure) / Out at the Poſterne by the Abbey vvall; / I feare I am attended by ſome Spies."
- "Your Follovvers I vvill vvhiſper to the Buſineſſe, / And vvill by tvvoes, and threes, at ſeuerall Poſternes, / Clear them o' th' Citie: […]"
- "As this Palace [Kensington Palace] opens to the VVeſt, there are Tvvo great VVings build, for receiving ſuch as neceſſarily attend the Court, and a large Port-cocher at the Entrance, vvith a Poſtern, and a Stone Gallery, on the South-ſide of the Court, vvhich leads to the great Stair-caſe."
- "And now he gains the postern door, / Now enters—and is seen no more."
Etymology
The noun is derived from Middle English postern, posterne (“side door or gate; small entranceway; hidden or secret door or passage”), from Late Latin posterna, and from its likely etymon Anglo-Norman posterne and Old French posterne (“hidden exit from a fortified building; back door; small door”) (modern French poterne), a variant of posterle (“back door or passage”) (although this is attested later), possibly also influenced by Latin externus (“external, outward”) and internus (“internal, inward”). Posterle is from Late Latin posterla, posterula (“(small) back door, gate, or way”), from Latin posterus (“coming after, later, next”) (from post (“after; behind”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pós (“afterwards; at, by”)) + -ula (suffix denoting an instrument). The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: postern, posterna, posterne, posterla, posterus, *pós
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpoʊstəɹn/
- British English: /ˈpɒst(ə)n/