POSTERN, noun [Latin post, behind.] 1. Primarily, a back door or gate; a private entrance; hence, any small door or gate. 2. In fortification , a small gate, usually in the angle of the flank of a bastion, or in that of the curtain or near the orillon, descending into the ditch. POSTERN, adjective Back; being behind; private.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI