Sitting balanced on top of something, often in a high or precarious position.
From Old French perche (a rod or pole), ultimately from Latin pertica (long pole). The word evolved to mean resting on something like a bird on a branch.
Birds' perches gave us the word, but 'perch' is also an old unit of measurement (16.5 feet)—so when you're perched, you're literally measured against something in space, like an old surveyor's rod.
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