A resting place for birds, typically a branch or rod, or the act of resting in such a position. Also refers to a type of freshwater fish, or historically, a unit of measurement.
From Old French 'perche,' from Latin 'perca' (the fish) and separately from Latin 'pertica' (a pole or rod). The bird-resting meaning developed from the pole sense, while the fish meaning remained distinct, showing how one word can have multiple etymological paths.
The word 'perch' beautifully demonstrates how language evolves through metaphor - we extended the idea of a bird's resting place to describe any elevated position where someone 'perches.' Medieval falconers were likely instrumental in spreading this usage, as they intimately understood bird behavior and perching preferences.
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