Library / English Dictionary

PERCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of various families of the order Perciformes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

percoid; percoid fish; percoidean (any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformes)

Holonyms ("perch" is a member of...):

order Perciformes; order Percomorphi; Perciformes; Percomorphi (one of the largest natural groups of fishes of both marine and fresh water: true perches; basses; tuna)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Spiny-finned freshwater food and game fishes

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

percoid; percoid fish; percoidean (any of numerous spiny-finned fishes of the order Perciformes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perch"):

Perca flavescens; yellow perch (North American perch)

European perch; Perca fluviatilis (a perch native to Europe)

pike-perch; pike perch (any of several pike-like fishes of the perch family)

Percina tanasi; snail darter (a small snail-eating perch of the Tennessee River)

Holonyms ("perch" is a member of...):

family Percidae; Percidae (active freshwater fishes; true perches and pike perches)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "perch"):

roost (a perch on which domestic fowl rest or sleep)

Holonyms ("perch" is a part of...):

roost (a shelter with perches for fowl or other birds)

Derivation:

perch (sit, as on a branch)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any of numerous fishes of America and Europe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

freshwater fish (flesh of fish from fresh water used as food)

Holonyms ("perch" is a part of...):

Perca flavescens; yellow perch (North American perch)

European perch; Perca fluviatilis (a perch native to Europe)

Sense 5

Meaning:

An elevated place serving as a seat

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

place; seat (a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane))

Sense 6

Meaning:

A square rod of land

Synonyms:

perch; pole; rod

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

area unit; square measure (a system of units used to measure areas)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A linear measure of 16.5 feet

Synonyms:

perch; pole; rod

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Hypernyms ("perch" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Meronyms (parts of "perch"):

pace; yard (a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Holonyms ("perch" is a part of...):

furlong (a unit of length equal to 220 yards)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sit, as on a branch

Example:

The birds perched high in the tree

Synonyms:

perch; rest; roost

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "perch" is one way to...):

sit; sit down (be seated)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence examples:

Some big birds perch in the tree

There perch some big birds in the tree

Derivation:

perch (support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird))

percher (a bird with feet adapted for perching (as on tree branches); this order is now generally abandoned by taxonomists)

percher (a person situated on a perch)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to perch or sit

Example:

She perched her hat on her head

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "perch" is one way to...):

lay; place; pose; position; put; set (put into a certain place or abstract location)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They perch their rifles on the cabinet

Sense 3

Meaning:

To come to rest, settle

Example:

Misfortune lighted upon him

Synonyms:

alight; light; perch

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "perch" is one way to...):

land; set down (reach or come to rest)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

Nest boxes and perches may bring in predatory birds more effectively, for example, than providing food.

(American kestrels, most common predatory birds in U.S., can reduce need for pesticide use, National Science Foundation)

The biologists found that the secret to the birds' perching versatility is in their grip.

(Researchers study birds to improve how robots land, National Science Foundation)

Uranus will be in what astrologers call trine position from his perch in Taurus three degrees, making for a perfect harmony to the eclipse in Capricorn four degrees.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

In truth, Harrison was very sick, as a person is sea-sick; and for a long time he clung to his precarious perch without attempting to move.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

And the new measurements show the lakes perched atop big hills and plateaus.

(Cassini Reveals Surprises with Titan's Lakes, NASA)

Owing to the cant of the vessel, the masts hung far out over the water, and from my perch on the cross-trees I had nothing below me but the surface of the bay.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

There was an instantaneous scattering of the four men who had carried it in, and from safe perches on top the wall they prepared to watch the performance.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

At all events his face was tied up in a black silk handkerchief, which, with his hat perched on the top of it, was far from improving his appearance.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A strange figure he seemed to his three squires, perched on his huge horse, with his eyes upturned and the wintry sun shimmering upon his bald head.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

We saw it in all its grandeur, perched a thousand feet on the summit of a sheer precipice, and with seemingly a great gap between it and the steep of the adjacent mountain on any side.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)