POSTERN

Postern

A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing defenders to make a sortie on the besiegers.

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postern

Noun

  1. A back gate, back door, side entrance, or other gateway distinct from the main entrance.
  2. By extension, a separate or hidden way in or out of a place, situation etc.
  3. A subterranean passage communicating between the parade and the main ditch, or between the ditches and the interior of the outworks.

Adjective

  1. Situated at the rear; posterior.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: postern
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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