perched

[purcht]

adjective

1. (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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

1. the simple past tense and past participle of perch.

Other Word Forms

• unperched adjective

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

Example Sentences

Still, the institution endured, its grassy campus and low-slung wings perched proudly on the east end of town.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Meanwhile, the audience has perched between seasons, with little indication of whether the show will sufficiently account for its young stars’ off-camera maturation within the story once it returns.

Read more on Salon

Over time, however, many of the stranger pairs began sharing space more comfortably and eventually perched together, touched beaks or groomed each other.

Read more on Science Daily

The monkey sniffs the air and climbs down the tent that he’s perched upon.

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The birds perched in the trees were not vultures but gentle cooing doves, with a few comically roosting chickens mixed among them.

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Related Words

• alight 
• squat 
• touch down