I. perch 1 /pɜːtʃ $ pɜːrtʃ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1-2: Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: perche , from Latin pertica 'pole' ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: perche , from Latin perca , from Greek perke ]
1 . a branch or stick where a bird sits
2 . informal a high place or position, especially one where you can sit and watch something:
She watched the parade from her perch on her father’s shoulders.
3 .
a type of fish that lives in lakes and rivers
II. perch 2 BrE AmE verb
1 . be perched on/above etc something to be in a position on top of something or on the edge of something:
a house perched on a cliff above the town
2 . perch (yourself) on something to sit on top of something or on the edge of something:
Bobby had perched himself on a tall wooden stool.
3 . [intransitive + on] if a bird perches on something, it flies down and sits on it
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ sit to be resting your weight on your bottom somewhere, or to move into this position:
He was sitting in front of the fire.
|
She sat on the bed and kicked off her shoes.
|
Who is the man sitting next to Karen?
▪ sit down to sit on a chair, bed, floor etc after you have been standing:
I sat down on the sofa.
|
Come in and sit down.
▪ be seated formal to be sitting in a particular chair or place:
John was seated on my left.
|
There was a man seated behind the desk.
▪ take a seat to sit – used especially when asking someone to sit down:
Please take a seat – she will be with you in a minute.
|
Would the audience please take their seats – the show will begin in five minutes.
▪ sink into something to sit in a comfortable chair and let yourself fall back into it:
We switched on the TV and sank into our armchairs.
▪ lounge to sit in a very comfortable relaxed way:
They lounged around all day by the pool.
▪ perch to sit on the edge of something:
He perched on the arm of the sofa.
|
My sister was perched (=was sitting) on a high stool.
▪ be slumped to be sitting while leaning against something, especially because you are injured, drunk, or asleep:
They found him slumped against the steering wheel.
▪ squat to sit with your knees bent under you, your bottom just off the ground, balancing on your feet:
A little boy was squatting at the edge of the pool.