Etymograph

English

perch

Perch comes from Latin perca ‘a perch (fish)’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘colored’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘colored’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπέρκηpérkē
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEperca‘a perch (fish)’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400perche
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500perche
  6. Englishtodayperch

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*perḱ-‘colored’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπέρκηpérkē
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEperca‘a perch (fish)’
  4. Old Frenchc. 842–1400perche
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500perche
  6. Englishtodayperch

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- ‘colored’

pork, porcelain, farrow, furlong, furrow, porpoise, porcine, porcini, 11 more

Another origin of perch

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*perthreconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpertica‘staff, long pole, measuring rod’
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400perche
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500perche
  5. Englishtodayperch

Today it means

noun Any of the three species of spiny-finned freshwater fish in the genus Perca.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- / perch

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