perch

¹

[ purch ]

noun

1. a pole or rod, usually horizontal, serving as a roost for birds.
2. any place or object, as a sill, fence, branch, or twig, for a bird, animal, or person to alight or rest upon.
3. a high or elevated position, resting place, or the like.
4. a small, elevated seat for the driver of any of certain vehicles.
5. a pole connecting the fore and hind running parts of a spring carriage or other vehicle.
6. a post set up as a navigational aid on a navigational hazard or on a buoy.
7. British.
   1. a linear or square rod.
   2. a measure of volume for stone, about 24 cubic feet (0.7 cubic meters).
8. Textiles. an apparatus consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal roller, used for inspecting cloth after it leaves the loom.
9. Obsolete. any pole, rod, or the like.

verb (used without object)

1. to alight or rest upon a perch.
2. to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch.

verb (used with object)

1. to set or place on or as if on a perch.
2. to inspect (cloth) for defects and blemishes after it has been taken from the loom and placed upon a perch.

perch

²

[ purch ]

noun

, plural (especially collectively) perch, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) perch·es.

1. any spiny-finned, freshwater food fish of the genus Perca, as P. flavescens yellow perch, of the U.S., or P. fluviatilis, of Europe.
2. any of various other related, spiny-finned fishes.
3. any of several embioticid fishes, as Hysterocarpus traski tule perch of California.

perch

¹

/ pɜːtʃ /

noun

1. a pole, branch, or other resting place above ground on which a bird roosts or alights
2. a similar resting place for a person or thing
3. another name for rod
4. a solid measure for stone, usually taken as 198 inches by 18 inches by 12 inches
5. a pole joining the front and rear axles of a carriage
6. a frame on which cloth is placed for inspection
7. obsolete.
   a pole

verb

1. usually foll by on to alight, rest, or cause to rest on or as if on a perch

   the cap was perched on his head

   the bird perched on the branch

2. tr to inspect (cloth) on a perch

perch

²

/ pɜːtʃ /

noun

1. any freshwater spiny-finned teleost fish of the family Percidae, esp those of the genus Perca, such as P. fluviatilis of Europe and P. flavescens ( yellow perch ) of North America: valued as food and game fishes
2. any of various similar or related fishes

Derived Forms

• ˈpercher, noun

Other Words From

• perch·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of perch¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English perche, perdge, preche, from Old French, from Latin pertica “pole, staff, measuring rod”

Origin of perch²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English perche, from Middle French, from Latin perca, from Greek pérkē, feminine of adjective pérkos “having dark spots, spotted, speckled”

Word History and Origins

Origin of perch¹

C13 perche stake, from Old French, from Latin pertica long staff

Origin of perch²

C13: from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Greek perkē; compare Greek perkos spotted

Example Sentences

Native reptiles and birds, including the Be’er Sheva fringe-fingered lizard, the pin-tailed sandgrouse and the spectacled warbler, are now fall easy prey for crows and jays perched in the tree branches.

From Salon

“He doesn’t have much purchase on pesticides from his perch,” Cook said.

From Los Angeles Times

Watching from a perch in the surveillance age, her reticence is understandable.

From Salon

Crowds of birdwatchers flocked to a quiet cul-de-sac after a rare sighting of a species perched on a garden washing line.

From BBC

There, zebra mussels and quagga mussels have thrived and caused a major decline in the yellow perch fishery.

From Los Angeles Times