word of the day: postern

The word of the day is postern:

1. a back door or gate.

2. a private entrance or any entrance other than the main one.

Middle English posterne < Old French, variant of posterle < Late Latin posterula, diminutive of postera back door, noun use of feminine of posterus coming behind.  (dictionary.com)

"He ducked down, skidded down the ladder to the cobbles and legged it back to the main hall with the skirts of his robe flapping around his ankles.  He slipped in through the small postern in the great door and ordered the guards to lock it, then grabbed his skirts again and pounded along a side passage so that the guests wouldn't notice him."

 - Terry Pratchett, Mort (1987)