Perch Is a Bird's Rest, a Fish, and an Old Unit of Land
A perch is a bar a bird rests on. It is also a freshwater fish and a measure of length, and the three are not all related.
A perch is a bar or branch on which a bird rests, and by extension any high seat. The word covers three different things and only two of them share a root: the bird's perch and the old land measure of sixteen and a half feet both come from Latin *pertica*, a pole; the freshwater fish is unrelated, from Greek *perke*. A surveyor's perch was literally the pole used to measure with. As a verb, *perch* means to settle in a high or precarious spot.
- A bird's resting bar. *A parrot's perch.*
- To settle high up. *Perched on a wall.*
- A freshwater fish. *Caught a perch.*
- An old land measure. *A square perch.*
- Latin — *pertica*, a pole. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | perch | A high perch. |
| Verb | perch | Perch there. |
| Past | perched | It perched. |
| Fish | perch | A perch. |
| Latin | pertica | A pole. |
- The hawk returned to its perch.Bird.
- She perched on the edge of the desk.Verb.
- A perch is sixteen and a half feet.Measure.
Old measures made from poles
- Perch — 16½ feet, also called a rod or a pole
- Chain — 4 perches, 66 feet, the surveyor's chain
- Furlong — 10 chains, the length of a ploughed furrow
- Mile — 8 furlongs, 5280 feet
- All of them still shape the layout of old English fields
Old French *perche*, from Latin *pertica*, a long staff. The fish is from Old French *perche*, from Greek *perke*.
Are the fish and the bird's perch the same word?
No. The bar comes from Latin pertica, a pole; the fish comes from Greek perke, an unrelated word.
How long is a perch?
Sixteen and a half feet, the same as a rod or a pole. It underlies the chain, the furlong and the mile.