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perch¹

(pûrch)

1. A rod or branch serving as a roost for a bird.

a. An elevated place for resting or sitting.

b. A position that is secure, advantageous, or prominent.

3. A pole, stick, or rod.

4. Chiefly British

a. A linear measure equal to 5.50 yards or 16.5 feet (5.03 meters); a rod.

b. One square rod of land.

5. A unit of cubic measure used in stonework, usually 16.5 feet by 1.0 foot by 1.5 feet, or 24.75 cubic feet (0.70 cubic meter).

6. A frame on which cloth is laid for examination of quality.

v. perched, perch·ing, perch·es

v.intr.

1. To alight or rest on a perch; roost: A raven perched high in the pine.

2. To stand, sit, or rest on an elevated place or position.

v.tr.

1. To place on or as if on a perch: The child perched the glass on the edge of the counter.

2. To lay (cloth) on a perch in order to examine it.

[Middle English perche, from Old French, from Latin pertica, stick, pole.]

perch²

(pûrch)

n. pl. perch or perch·es

1. Any of several spiny-finned freshwater fishes of the genus Perca, especially either of two edible species, the yellow perch of North America, and P. fluviatilis of Europe.

2. Any of various similar fishes of the family Percidae, such as the walleye, or of other families, such as the white perch or the ocean perch.

[Middle English perche, from Old French, from Latin perca, from Greek perkē.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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