View synonyms for

perched

[ purcht ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

(of a bird) resting on a perch, such as a branch, telephone wire, or fence, or a rod specially designed for the purpose:
While hiking I caught sight of a perched owl near the trail.
settled or resting in a relatively high position, like a bird on a perch:
The tour will stop for lunch in a perched village offering a splendid view of the entire French Riviera coastline.
Geology. (of a boulder or block) left on the top of a hill, ridge, etc., by ice that melted after carrying it there:
As you continue hiking southeast, look out for the perched boulder overlooking a pond.
Geology.
1. (of a lake) having a surface level at an unusually high elevation, well above that of aquifers and other bodies of water in the area, because it has formed on a dense, hardened layer of sand mixed with organic matter that traps water on top of it:
  Half of all the world’s known perched lakes are found on Australia’s Fraser Island.
2. (of an aquifer) occurring above the regional water table, having been formed by an accumulation of groundwater that cannot permeate the underlying layer of clay or other dense soil:
  Perched aquifers are sometimes good water sources, but they tend to be relatively small and easily depleted with overpumping.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of perch ¹.

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Other Word Forms

�ܲ�·�� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of perched¹

First recorded in 1815–25; perch ¹( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; perch ¹( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

From an office perched on the scalloped edge of the continent, Victoria Bradley jokes that she has the most beautiful doctor's practice in Australia.

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Playoffs that could end with a battered yellow fire helmet perched atop Lord Stanley’s Cup.

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Nor was the dugout the only place the veteran Scot sat down - he was perched on a drinks cooler in the corner of his area when Everton scored their equalising penalty.

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Home for Divine is Bulengo camp - an expanse of scrappy white tents, perched on dark volcanic rock, surrounded by green hills.

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A ladder was perched against the property, leading to an upstairs bedroom window which remained wide open, with curtains still hanging from the frame.

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Related Words

Perche percher

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