perch

C2 Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /pɝt͡ʃ/ UK /pɜːtʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #19411

Meanings

1

verb
To sit or rest on a high or narrow place, especially of a bird.

A small bird perched on the edge of the fence.
2

noun
A branch, bar, or other place where a bird rests.

The parrot returned to its perch beside the window.
3

noun
A high or advantageous position.

From her perch on the hill she could see the whole valley.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to sit or rest on a high or... rest

Word family

Forms perchedperchesperching

Derived forms aperchdeperchlogperchnonperchingoverperchperchablepercheryperchlessperchletperchlikeperchlingpikeperch

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-der. Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē)der. Latin percader. Old French perchebor. Middle English perche English perch 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”).

perche Middle English perca Latin πέρκη Ancient Greek *perḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction Describing Qualities

External links

# perch

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /pɝt͡ʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /pɜːtʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 19411

## Meanings
1. To sit or rest on a high or narrow place, especially of a bird.
2. A branch, bar, or other place where a bird rests.
3. A high or advantageous position.

## Examples
- A small bird perched on the edge of the fence.
- The parrot returned to its perch beside the window.
- From her perch on the hill she could see the whole valley.

## Derived Forms
- aperch
- deperch
- logperch
- nonperching
- overperch
- perchable
- perchery
- perchless
- perchlet
- perchlike
- perchling
- pikeperch

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: perche
- Root: perca
- Root: πέρκη
- Root: *perḱ-

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-der. Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē)der. Latin percader. Old French perchebor. Middle English perche English perch 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”).

## AI Etymology
Perch is 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”). The historical chain records Proto-Indo-European *perḱ-, Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē), Latin perca, Old French perche, Middle English perche, and English perch. Important recorded forms include perche (Middle English), perche (Old French), perca (Latin), πέρκη (Ancient Greek), and *perḱ- (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include to sit or rest on a high or narrow place, especially of a bird and a branch, bar, or other place where a bird rests. The wider family includes derived forms such as aperch, deperch, logperch, nonperching, and overperch.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction
- Describing Qualities

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perch

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