perch

See also: Perch

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɜːtʃ/
• IPA^(key): /pɝt͡ʃ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

Etymology 1

From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), cognate with περκνός (perknós, “dark-spotted”).

Noun

yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

perch (plural perches or perch)

1. Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.
2. Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae, especially:
   1. (South Africa)
   2. (Ghana) ,
   3. (Australia) , , , ,
   4. (US)
   5. (UK) , Tautogolabrus adspersus
3. Several similar species in the order Perciformes, such as the grouper.

Hyponyms

• (fish in genus Perca): Balkhash perch, European perch, yellow perch
• (fish in family Percidae): darter, pike-perch, zander
• (fish in order Perciformes): bass

Derived terms

• American perch (Perca flavescens)
• Balkhash perch ()
• bass perch ()
• black perch ()
• blue perch ()
• bluenose perch ()
• great perch ()
• gray perch ()
• lake perch (Perca flavescens)
• logperch
• perch pest
• perchlet
• pikeperch
• raccoon perch (Perca flavescens)
• red perch
  • red gurnard perch ()
  • rose fish (Sebastes norvegicus)
  • Pacific ocean perch ()
  • Japanese red seaperch ()
  • barber perch ()
• red-bellied perch ()
• ring-tail perch (Perca flavescens)
• ringed perch (Perca flavescens)
• rockperch ()
• sandperch
• sea perch () → (in compounds) seaperch
• silver perch ()
• stone perch ()
• striped perch (Perca flavescens)
• surfperch
• trout-perch ()
• white perch ()
• yellow perch (Perca flavescens)

Translations

fish of the genus Perca

• Albanian: sharrok (sq) m, sharmak m
• Armenian: պերկես (hy) (perkes)
• Bashkir: алабуға (alabuğa)
• Belarusian: аку́нь m (akúnʹ), во́кунь m (vókunʹ)
• Bulgarian: ко́стур (bg) m (kóstur)
• Catalan: perca (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鱸魚／鲈鱼 (lou⁴ jyu^4-2)

  Mandarin: 鱸魚／鲈鱼 (zh) (lúyú)

• Chuvash: уланкӑ (ulank̬ă)
• Czech: okoun (cs) m
• Danish: abborre c
• Dutch: baars (nl) m
• Esperanto: perko
• Estonian: ahven (et)
• Finnish: ahven (fi)
• French: perche (fr) f
• Georgian: ქორჭილა (korč̣ila)
• German: Barsch (de) m
• Greek: πέρκα (el) f (pérka)

  Ancient: πέρκη f (pérkē), ὀρφώς m (orphṓs)

• Hungarian: sügér (hu)
• Icelandic: aborri f
• Ido: perko (io)
• Ingrian: ahven
• Irish: péirse f
• Italian: pesce persico (it) m, perca (it)
• Japanese: ペルカ (peruka)
• Komi-Zyrian: ёкыш (jokyš)
• Latin: perca f
• Latvian: asaris (lv) m
• Macedonian: ко́стреш m (kóstreš)
• Manchu: ᠰᠠᡥᠠᠮᡥᠠ (sahamha)
• Mansi:
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: олаҥге (olaŋge)

  Western Mari: алангы (alangy)

• Nootka: ƛ̕isapiiḥ, ƛ̕isapaḥ
• Norman: pèrche f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abbor (no) m, tryte m or f, skjebbe m or f, åbor m

  Nynorsk: åbor

• Polish: okoń (pl) m
• Portuguese: perca (pt) f
• Romanian: biban (ro) m
• Russian: о́кунь (ru) m (ókunʹ)
• Selkup:
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: гргеч m

  Roman: grgeč (sh) m

• Slovak: okúň m
• Spanish: perca f
• Swedish: abborre (sv) c
• Tatar: алабуга (tt) (alabuğa)
• Turkish: levrek (tr)
• Udmurt: юш (juš)
• Ukrainian: о́кунь (uk) m (ókunʹ)
• Welsh: draenog m
• West Frisian: bears c
• Yiddish: אָקון m (okun)
• Zazaki: lewreg c

fish in the taxonomic family Percidae

• Armenian: պերկեսազգի (hy) (perkesazgi)
• Finnish: ahven (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Greek: πέρκα (el) f (pérka)
• Italian: luccioperca, sandra (it), luccio (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: abbor (no) m, tryte m or f, skjebbe m or f, åbor m

• Portuguese: pércida m, percídeo m
• Serbo-Croatian: grgeči (sh) m pl
• Spanish: perca f
• Turkish: levrek (tr)
• Zazaki: lewregane c

fish in the taxonomic order Perciformes

• Armenian: պերկեսակերպ (perkesakerp)
• Finnish: ahvenkala (fi), ahven (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Greek: πέρκα (el) f (pérka)
• Italian: spigola (it), branzino (it)
• Ngarrindjeri: pillulkie
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: piggfinnefisk m

• Portuguese: perciforme m
• Serbo-Croatian: grgečke (sh) f pl
• Turkish: levrek (tr)
• Zazaki: lewreginan c

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} pesce persico (it)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} perca
• Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} ešerys m
• Slovene: ^{(please verify)} ostriž m

Etymology 2

From Middle English perche, from Old French perche, from Latin pertica (“staff”, “long pole”, “measuring rod”).

Noun

perch (plural perches or perch)

1. A rod, staff, tree branch, ledge, etc., used as a roost by a bird.
   • 1874, Alfred Tennyson, “Dedication”, in Idylls of the King (The Works of Alfred Tennyson; V), cabinet edition, London: Henry S. King & Co., […], →OCLC, page 8:

     We know him now: […] / Not making his high place the lawless perch / Of wing'd ambitions, nor a vantage-ground / For pleasure; […]

2. A pole connecting the fore gear and hind gear of a spring carriage; a reach.
3. (figuratively) A position that is secure and advantageous, especially one which is prominent or elevated.
   • 2019 August 14, A. A. Dowd, “Good Boys Puts a Tween Spin on the R-rated Teen Comedy, to Mostly Funny Effect”, in The A.V. Club‎^[1], archived from the original on 4 March 2021:

     Last year, Eighth Grade found poignancy and humor in its eponymous time period: that purgatorial perch between childhood and adulthood.

   • 2022 August 1, Off the Leash, Darwin, NT, page 12, column 1:

     [W]inning Wimbledon at just 19 years, earning her rightful place on the perch as world number one.

4. (figuratively) A position that is overly elevated or haughty.
   • 1612–1613 (date written), John Webster, The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy. […], London: […] Nicholas Okes, for Iohn Waterson, […], published 1623, →OCLC, Act II, scene iv:

     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, […]

5. (dated) A linear measure of 5+¹⁄₂ yards, equal to a rod, a pole or ¹⁄₄ chain; the related square measure.
6. A cubic measure of stonework equal to 16.6 × 1.5 × 1 feet.
7. (textiles) A frame used to examine cloth.
8. A bar used to support a candle, especially in a church.
9. (theater) A platform for lights to be directed at the stage.

Derived terms

• knock someone off his perch

Translations

rod used by bird

• Armenian: թառ (hy) (tʻaṙ)
• Bikol Central: tugdunan
• Catalan: barrella f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 棲架／栖架 (qījià)

• Czech: hřad m, bidlo (cs) n
• Danish: siddepind c
• Dutch: stok (nl) m
• Finnish: orsi (fi)
• French: perchoir (fr) m
• Galician: poleiro (gl) m
• German: Hühnerstange f
• Greek: κούρνια (el) f (koúrnia)

  Ancient: πέτευρον n (péteuron)

• Hungarian: ülőrúd, rúd (hu), ág (hu)
• Irish: fara m
• Italian: pertica (it) f, trespolo (it) m
• Kazakh: тұғыр (tūğyr)
• Korean: 횃대 (hwaetdae)
• Macedonian: се́дело n (sédelo)
• Maori: rongohua, pae
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: sittepinne m

• Ottoman Turkish: تونك (tünek)
• Polish: grzęda (pl) f, żerdź (pl) f
• Portuguese: poleiro (pt)
• Russian: насе́ст (ru) m (nasést), жердь (ru) f (žerdʹ), жёрдочка (ru) f (žórdočka)
• Scottish Gaelic: spiris f
• Spanish: alcándara (es) f, percha (es) f
• Swedish: sittpinne c
• Turkish: tünek (tr)
• Walloon: djok (wa) m
• Zazaki: dunek c

Verb

perch (third-person singular simple present perches, present participle perching, simple past and past participle perched)

1. (intransitive) To rest on a perch (especially, of a bird); to roost.

   The macaw was perched on Jim's shoulder.

2. (intransitive) To sit upon the edge of something.
   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “Which Describes an Evening in Strange Company”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     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.

3. (intransitive) To stay in an elevated position.
4. (transitive) To place something on (or as if on) a perch.
   • 2012 September 7, Dominic Fifield, “England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     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 Chelsea midfielder's 11 in World Cup qualification ties, with this a display to roll back the years.

5. (transitive, intransitive, textiles) To inspect cloth using a perch.

Translations

to rest on a perch, to roost

• Armenian: թառել (hy) (tʻaṙel)
• Bikol Central: tugdon
• Finnish: istua orrella
• French: se percher (fr)
• German: niederlassen (de), setzen (de), niedersetzen (de)
• Greek: κουρνιάζω (el) (kourniázo)
• Hungarian: leszáll (hu), megül (hu), megtelepszik, letelepszik (hu), gubbaszt (hu)
• Indonesian: hinggap (id)
• Italian: appollaiarsi (it)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

• Portuguese: empoleirar-se
• Spanish: empercharse (es)
• Turkish: tünemek (tr), konmak (tr)
• Walloon: s' adjoker, s' apîçter, si mete a djoke
• Yiddish: זיצן (zitsn), אַראָפּלאָזן (aroplozn)

to stay in an elevated position

• Armenian: թառել (hy) (tʻaṙel)
• Finnish: olla korkealla
• Hungarian: telepszik (hu), megtelepszik, felül (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

• Russian: возвышаться (ru) impf (vozvyšatʹsja)
• Turkish: tünemek (tr)
• Walloon: si mete a djoke, s' adjoker

to place something on a perch

• Finnish: ripustaa (fi), panna orrelle
• French: percher (fr), jucher (fr) (old)
• Hungarian: rárak (hu), ráhelyez (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

• Portuguese: empoleirar
• Spanish: emperchar (es)
• Turkish: kondurmak (tr), tünetmek (tr)
• Walloon: adjoker (wa)

to inspect cloth using a perch

• Finnish: tarkastaa (fi)
• Hungarian: vizsgál (hu), átnéz (hu)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} appollaiarsi (it)
• Norman: ^{(please verify)} jutchi (Jersey)

References

• “perch”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “perch”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Middle English

Noun

perch

1. Alternative form of perche (“pole”)