perch

perch¹

—perchable, adj.

/perrch/, n.

1. a pole or rod, usually horizontal, serving as a roost for birds.

2. any place or object, as a sill, fence, branch, or twig, for a bird, animal, or person to alight or rest upon.

3. a high or elevated position, resting place, or the like.

4. a small, elevated seat for the driver of any of certain vehicles.

5. a pole connecting the fore and hind running parts of a spring carriage or other vehicle.

6. a post set up as a navigational aid on a navigational hazard or on a buoy.

7. Brit.

a. a linear or square rod.

b. a measure of volume for stone, about 24 cubic feet (0.7 cubic meters).

8. Textiles. an apparatus consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal roller, used for inspecting cloth after it leaves the loom.

9. Obs. any pole, rod, or the like.

v.i.

10. to alight or rest upon a perch.

11. to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch.

v.t.

12. to set or place on or as if on a perch.

13. to inspect (cloth) for defects and blemishes after it has been taken from the loom and placed upon a perch.

[1250-1300; ME perche < OF < L pertica pole, staff, measuring rod]

perch²

/perrch/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) perch, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) perches.

1. any spiny-finned, freshwater food fish of the genus Perca, as P. flavescens (yellow perch), of the U.S., or P. fluviatilis, of Europe.

2. any of various other related, spiny-finned fishes.

3. any of several embioticid fishes, as Hysterocarpus traski (tule perch) of California.

[1350-1400; ME perche < MF < L perca < Gk pérke]

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Either of two species (family Percidae, order Perciformes) of popular food and sport fishes: the Eurasian common perch (Perca fluviatilis) or the North American yellow perch (P. flavescens).

Some consider the two a single species. Both have one spiny and one soft-rayed dorsal fin. Perches are carnivores of quiet ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. The common perch is greenish, with dark vertical bars on the sides and reddish in the lower fins. It grows to 6 lbs (3 kg), rarely more. The yellow perch, similar but yellower, grows to about 15 in. (40 cm) and weighs up to 2 lbs (1 kg); it is a popular game fish. See also sauger, sea bass, walleye.

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▪ fish

 either of two species of fish, the common and the yellow perch (Perca fluviatilis and P. flavescens, sometimes considered as single species, P. fluviatilis) of the family Percidae (order Perciformes). The name also is widely, and sometimes confusingly, applied to a variety of other fishes.

      The common and yellow perches are found, respectively, in the fresh waters of Eurasia and North America. Both are well-known and popular as both food and sport fishes. They have two dorsal fins, the first spiny and the second soft-rayed.

      Perches are carnivores and inhabit quiet ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. They spawn in spring, the female at that time laying strings of eggs in the shallows among water plants, branches, and the like. The common, or European, perch is greenish with dark, vertical bars on the sides and reddish or orange colouring in the lower fins. It grows to a maximum weight of about 3 kg (6 pounds), rarely more. The yellow perch, native to eastern North America and introduced on the Pacific coast, is similar to the European perch but yellower in colour. It grows to about 40 cm (15 inches) and 1 kg (2.2 pounds).

      Other perchlike and perch-named fishes include the pikeperch (pike perch) (q.v.), also of the family Percidae; the surfperch (q.v.); and the white perch, a relative of the sea bass (q.v.).

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