perch
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perch¹
- /pɜːtʃ/ UK
- /pɝt͡ʃ/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), cognate with περκνός (perknós, “dark-spotted”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-, whence also Old English forn (“trout”), German Forelle (“trout”).
noun perches · perch
- Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.
- Acanthopagrus berda
- Distichodus engycephalus, Distichodus rostratus
- Johnius belangerii, Macquaria ambigua, Macquaria colonorum, Macquaria novemaculeata, Nemadactylus macropterus
- Kyphosus azureus
- Lateolabrax japonicus, Tautogolabrus adspersus
- Several similar species in the order Perciformes, such as the grouper.
perch²
- /pɜːtʃ/ UK
- /pɝt͡ʃ/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin pertica (“staff, long pole, measuring rod”).
noun perches · perch
- A rod, staff, tree branch, ledge, etc., used as a roost by a bird. We know him now: […] / Not making his high place the lawless perch / Of wing'd ambitions, nor a vantage-ground / For pleasure; […]
- A pole connecting the fore gear and hind gear of a spring carriage; a reach.
- A position that is secure and advantageous, especially one which is prominent or elevated. Last year, Eighth Grade found poignancy and humor in its eponymous time period: that purgatorial perch between childhood and adulthood.
- A position that is overly elevated or haughty. You may thanke me, (Lady) / I haue taken you off your mellancholly pearch, / Boare you vpon my fiſt, and ſhew'd you game, / And let you flie at it: I pray the kiſſe me, […]
- A linear measure of 5+¹⁄₂ yards, equal to a rod, a pole or ¹⁄₄ chain; the related square measure. The whole surface of the country is divided into irregular patches, following the undulations of the ground, from many acres to a few perches in extent, each of which is itself perfectly level, but stands a few inches or several feet above or below those adjacent to it.
- A cubic measure of stonework equal to 16.6 × 1.5 × 1 feet.
- A frame used to examine cloth.
- A bar used to support a candle, especially in a church.
- A platform for lights to be directed at the stage.
verb perches · perching · perched
- To rest on a perch (especially, of a bird); to roost. The macaw perched on Jim's shoulder.
- To sit upon the edge of something. The platform was already crowded, but the newcomers threaded their way to the front amid a decorous murmur of welcome. Mr. Peeble shoved and exhorted and two end seats emerged upon which Enid and Malone perched themselves.
- To stay in an elevated position.
- To place something on (or as if on) a perch. The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the Ch
- To inspect cloth using a perch.
Perch³
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
proper noun
- A surname.
- a type of freshwater fish
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: roost, rod, pole, light, rest, alight, walleye, salmon, beam, hook, boom, phaeton, trolley, position, bass, iba
Translations
Every language
noun fish in the taxonomic family Percidae
| Español | perca |
|---|---|
| Português | pércida, percídeo |
| Italiano | luccioperca, sandra, luccio |
| Ελληνικά | πέρκα pérka |
noun fish of the genus Perca
| Español | perca |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ペルカ peruka |
| 中文 | 鱸魚 /鲈鱼 lúyú |
| Português | perca |
| Français | perche |
| Deutsch | Barsch |
| Italiano | pesce persico, perca |
| Ελληνικά | πέρκα pérka |
| Română | biban |
| Русский | о́кунь ókunʹ |
noun fish in the taxonomic order Perciformes
| Português | perciforme |
|---|---|
| Italiano | spigola, branzino |
| Ελληνικά | πέρκα pérka |
noun rod used by bird
| Español | alcándara, percha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 횃대 hwaetdae |
| 中文 | 棲架 /栖架 qījià |
| Português | poleiro |
| Français | perchoir |
| Deutsch | Hühnerstange |
| Italiano | pertica, trespolo |
| Ελληνικά | κούρνια koúrnia |
| Русский | насе́ст nasést, жердь žerdʹ, жёрдочка žórdočka |
verb to rest on a perch, to roost
| Español | empercharse, apercharse |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 棲息 /栖息 qīxī |
| Português | empoleirar-se |
| Français | se percher |
| Deutsch | niederlassen, setzen, niedersetzen |
| Italiano | appollaiarsi |
| Ελληνικά | κουρνιάζω kourniázo |
verb to stay in an elevated position
| Русский | возвышаться vozvyšatʹsja |
|---|
verb to place something on a perch
| Español | emperchar, aperchar |
|---|---|
| Português | empoleirar |
| Français | percher, jucher |
Talk about this word "perch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/perch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. perch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/perch "perch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/perch.Cite this
@misc{perch_2026,
title = {perch},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/perch},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
