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.
ArchitectureAlso A back door or gate, side entrance, or other entrance distinct from the main one, especially one that is private or not obvious.
Euery houſe hath two doores, one into the ſtrete and a poſternne doore on the backſyde into the gardyne.1551, Thomas More, “The Second Boke of the Communycacion of Raphael Hythlodaye, Concernynge the Best State of a Commen Wealthe: Cõteynyng the Discription of Utopia, with a Large Declaration of the Godly Gouernement, and of All the Good Lawes and Orders of the Same Ilande. Of the Cyties and Namely of Amaurote.”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the Newe Yle Called Utopia: […], London: […] [Steven Mierdman for] Abraham Vele, […], →OCLC, signature H.iij., recto:
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.1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 52, page 75:
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[G]oe on (good Eglamoure) / Out at the Poſterne by the Abbey vvall; / I feare I am attended by ſome Spies.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], page 36, column 1:
Your Follovvers I vvill vvhiſper to the Buſineſſe, / And vvill by tvvoes, and threes, at ſeuerall Poſternes, / Clear them o' th' Citie: […]c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 281:
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.1742, [Daniel Defoe], “Letter III. Containing a Description of Part of Middlesex; and of the Whole County of Hertford.”, in A Tour thro’ the Whole Island of Great Britain. […], 3rd edition, volume II, London: […] J[ohn] Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 160:
And now he gains the postern door, / Now enters—and is seen no more.1813, Walter Scott, “Canto Fifth”, in Rokeby; a Poem, Edinburgh: […] [F]or John Ballantyne and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., […], →OCLC, stanza XXX, page 255:
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ArchitectureAlso A hidden or secret exit or tunnel of a fortification such as a castle, city wall, or fort.
[I]f ſhe vvould repair, on the follovving night, vvhen the Signor vvas retired to reſt, to the poſtern-gate of the caſtle, ſhe ſhould, perhaps, ſee Madame Montoni.1794 May 8, Ann Radcliffe, chapter XII, in The Mysteries of Udolpho, a Romance; […], volume II, London: […] G. G. and J. Robinson, […], →OCLC, page 472:
In the outwork was a sally-port corresponding to the postern of the castle, and the whole was surrounded by a strong palisade.1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter XV, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 290:
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ArchitectureAlso, Broadly Any way in or out of a place, especially a hidden one; an entrance or exit.
It is as hard to come, as for a Cammell / To threed the poſterne of a ſmall needles eie: […]1595 December 9 (first known performance), [William Shakespeare], The Tragedie of King Richard the Second. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Valentine Simmes for Androw Wise, […], published 1597, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v], signature I3, verso:
Thought, buſy Thought! too buſy for my Peace, / Thro' the dark Poſtern of Time long elapſ'd, / Led ſoftly, by the ſtillneſs of the Night, […]1742, [Edward Young], “Night the First”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], →OCLC, page 11, lines 221–223:
The postern of the enceinte leads through the middle of the curtain, descending from the plane of sight to the ditch.1850, D[ennis] H[art] Mahan, “Description and Analysis of the Bastioned Front Applied to a Horizontal Site”, in Summary of the Course of Permanent Fortification and of the Attack and Defence of Permanent Works for the Use of the Cadets of the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.: […] U.S. Mil[itary] Acad[em]y Press, →OCLC, paragraph 102 (Communication of the Enciente with the Ditch), page 139:
The motive of all dangers that ever this Monarchy hath undergone, ſhould be carefully heeded, for this Maxime hath no poſterne: Poteſtas humana radicatur in voluntatibus hominum [human power is rooted in the will of men].a. 1619 (date written), Walter Raleigh, “The Prerogative of Parliaments in England. Proved in a Dialogue between a Councellour of State, and a Justice of Peace. […]”, in Remains of Sir Walter Raleigh; […], London: […] William Sheares […], published 1661, →OCLC, page 53:
[I]f thou hast dipped thy foot in the river, yet venture not over Rubicon; run not into extremities from whence there is no regression, nor be ever so closely shut up within the holds of vice and iniquity, as not to find some escape by a postern of recipiscency.1716, Thomas Browne, “Christian Morals. […] Third Edition”, in Simon Wilkin, editor, Sir Thomas Browne’s Works […], volume IV, London: William Pickering; Norwich, Norfolk: Josiah Fletcher, →OCLC, footnote 8, page 64:
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Archaic, Figuratively A dishonourable or unconventional means of doing something.
Near-synonym: back door
[B]y this poſtern gate commeth in the vvhole mark of Papall Indulgences, a gain uneſtimable unto him, to others a ſpoile, a skorn both to God and Man.a. 1601? (date written), attributed to Richard Hooker, “Of the Disciplines of Repentance Instituted by Christ, […]”, in Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie; […], London: […] Richard Bishop, published 1648, →OCLC, book VI, page 81:
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[M]any needleſſly charge themſelves in living too long in the Univerſity, ſucking ſo long of their Mother, they are never a vvhit the vviſer for it; vvhileſt others not ſtaying there ſo long, nor going through the porch of humane Arts, but entring into Divinity at the poſtern, have made good Preachers, providing their People vvholſome meat, though not ſo finely dreſt.1642, Thomas Fuller, “Of Ministers Maintenance”, in The Holy State, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Roger Daniel for John Williams, […], →OCLC, book III, page 229:
Then in the Poſterne of them [named parts of the book] looke, and thou ſhalt find the Poſthume Poems of the Authors Father, comming as neere Kinſemen to the vvorke, being next of blood to the Booke, and yonger brothers to the Authour himſelfe.1611, Thomas Coryate [i.e., Thomas Coryat], “[Three Crude Veines are Presented in this Booke]”, in Coryats Crudities Hastily Gobled Vp in Five Moneths Trauells […], London: […] W[illiam] S[tansby for the author], →OCLC:
Caſt care at thy poſternes; and firke i' thy fetters; / They are ornaments, Baby, haue graced thy betters: […]1616 October or November (first performance), Ben Jonson, The Diuell is an Asse: A Comedie […], London: […] I. B. for Robert Allot, […], published 1631, →OCLC, Act V, scene , page 164:
But tho' his Countenance vvas ſo ſtern, / Yet from the Regions of his Poſtern, / Drop'd ſomething Saffron-Dye excelling, / Yet ſvveet as Musk, or Civet, Smelling.1719, Ovid, “The Speeches of Ajax and Ulysses”, in Joseph Gay [pseudonym; John Durant Breval], transl., Ovid in Masquerade. Being a Burlesque upon the XIIIᵗʰ Book of His Metamorphoses, […], London: […] E[dmund] Curll, […], →OCLC, page 48:
Derived terms
Shottle and Postern
postern
adj
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.
[H]e [Arius] fell head-long, and burſting aſunder in the midſt, immediately expired. Socrates and others ſay, that the Bovvels, and all the Inteſtina, vvith a vaſt Flux of blood iſſued out at the Poſtern paſſage.1683, William Cave, “[The Life of S. Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria.] Sect[ion] V. The Acts and Proceedings of the Synod at Tyre, with Other Consequent Affairs.”, in Ecclesiastici: Or, The History of the Lives, Acts, Death, & Writings, of the Most Eminent Fathers of the Church, that Flourisht in the Fourth Century. […], London: […] J. R. for Richard Chiswel […], →OCLC, paragraph XII, page 92:
2
Obsolete Lower in quality or status; inferior, lesser.
[T]heir Aſſembly (as Philoſophers think the VVorld) conſiſts of Atoms; petty ſmall Levites, vvhoſe Parts are not perceptible. And yet theſe inferiour poſtern Teachers have intoxicated England, (for a man ſometimes grovv's drunk by a Gliſter.)1647 (date written), J[ohn] B[irkenhead], The Assembly-man, London: […] Richard Marriot, […], published 166⅔ [i.e., 1663], →OCLC, page 6:
Sooner the in-ſide of thy hand ſhall grovv / Hiſped [hispid], and hairie, ere thy Palm ſhall knovv / A Poſtern-bribe tooke, or a Forked-Fee / To fetter Juſtice, vvhen She might be free.1648, Robert Herrick, “To His Honoured Friend, M. John Weare, Councellour”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 235: