What does doorpost mean?
A doorpost is one of the two upright structural members that stand at either side of a doorway, supporting the horizontal beam (or lintel) above and together forming the frame into which a door is fitted. The word appears most often in traditional, literary, or biblical contexts: it is central to the Exodus narrative of Passover, where lamb's blood was struck on the doorposts as a sign of protection, and it recurs throughout older English writing describing houses and temples. In ordinary modern usage about building work, speakers tend to prefer 'jamb' or 'doorframe', so 'doorpost' can sound slightly formal or old-fashioned. Its plural is 'doorposts'. Though modest in appearance, the word evokes thresholds, shelter, and passage between spaces, giving it a quiet symbolic weight that plain architectural vocabulary lacks.
nounA doorpost is either of the two vertical members that form the sides of a doorway and support the lintel or frame in which a door hangs.
- Either of the two vertical posts forming the sides of a doorway and supporting the lintel or upper structure.
"She leaned against the doorpost, watching the rain sweep across the courtyard."
"The carpenter fitted new oak doorposts before hanging the heavy front door."
"Blood was applied to the doorposts of every Israelite house on the night of the first Passover."
The regular plural 'doorposts' is standard and refers collectively to both uprights of a single doorway or to the doorposts of many doors.
"The ancient temple's cedarwood doorposts were overlaid with gold."
In ancient Israel, blood smeared on the doorposts marked out homes to be spared during Passover — making the humblest part of a doorway a symbol of protection for over three thousand years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of doorpost
Doorpost is a transparent English compound formed from 'door', which derives from Old English 'duru' or 'dor' of Germanic origin, and 'post', borrowed from Latin 'postis' meaning an upright stake or pillar, which reached Middle English via Old French. The compound has been used in English since at least the early medieval biblical translations, reflecting the importance of the term in rendering Hebrew Scripture passages such as those describing the first Passover. Cognates of the 'door' element appear across the Germanic languages, while the 'post' element shares its Latin root with related words for pillars and supports.
How doorpost is actually used
Doorpost is a somewhat literary or traditional term; in everyday modern speech about house construction, people are more likely to say 'jamb' or 'doorframe'. It carries strong cultural resonance from biblical texts, particularly the Exodus account of the Passover, so it often appears in religious or historical contexts. The plural is normally 'doorposts'.
Easily confused with doorpost
A doorjamb is specifically the finished vertical surface of the door frame inside the doorway, while doorpost more broadly denotes either of the upright structural posts at the sides of an entrance.
The lintel is the horizontal beam spanning the top of a doorway, whereas the doorpost is one of the vertical supports on either side.