Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
Definition of perched - 2 dictionary results

perch

1  [purch]
Use perched in a Sentence
–noun
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. British.
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. Obsolete. any pole, rod, or the like.
–verb (used without object)
10. to alight or rest upon a perch.
11. to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch.
–verb (used with object)
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.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME perche < OF < L pertica pole, staff, measuring rod

Related forms:
perch⋅a⋅ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To perched
perch 1   (pûrch)   
n.  
  1. A rod or branch serving as a roost for a bird.
    1. An elevated place for resting or sitting.
    2. A position that is secure, advantageous, or prominent.
    3. A linear measure equal to 5.50 yards or 16.5 feet (5.03 meters); a rod.
    4. One square rod of land.
  3. A pole, stick, or rod.
  4. Chiefly British
    1. A linear measure equal to 5.50 yards or 16.5 feet (5.03 meters); a rod.
    2. One square rod of land.
  5. A unit of cubic measure used in stonework, usually 16.5 feet by 1.0 foot by 1.5 feet, or 24.75 cubic feet (0.70 cubic meter).
  6. A frame on which cloth is laid for examination of quality.
v.   perched, perch·ing, perch·es

v.   intr.
  1. To alight or rest on a perch; roost: A raven perched high in the pine.
  2. To stand, sit, or rest on an elevated place or position.
v.   tr.
  1. To place on or as if on a perch: The child perched the glass on the edge of the counter.
  2. To lay (cloth) on a perch in order to examine it.

[Middle English perche, from Old French, from Latin pertica, stick, pole.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see perched on Thesaurus | Reference