perca

See also: përça, Perca, pêrca, and perça

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin perca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈpe̞r.kə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [ˈpɛr.kə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈpeɾ.ka]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [ˈper.ka]

Noun

perca f (plural perques)

1. perch

Derived terms

• perca americana

Further reading

• “perca”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Galician

Verb

perca

1. (reintegrationist norm) inflection of perder:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Indonesian

Etymology

From Hindustani (Urdu پارچہ (pārca, “scrap, rag, cloth”), Hindi पारचा (pārcā, “scrap, rag, cloth”)), from Persian پارچه (pârče, “piece, cloth”), the diminutive of پاره (pâre).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pərˈt͡ʃa]
• Hyphenation: pêrca

Noun

pêrca (plural perca-perca)

1. cloth from remainder fabric

Further reading

• “perca”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Etymology

From Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɛr.ka/
• Rhymes: -ɛrka
• Hyphenation: pèr‧ca

Noun

perca f (plural perche)

1. (zoology, ichthyology) perch, Perca fluviatilis

Anagrams

• capre, carpe, crepa

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”), from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“spotted, speckled”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpɛr.ka]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈpɛr.ka]

Noun

perca f (genitive percae); first declension

1. a perch (fish)
   • 77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 32.40:

     […] similiter percae salsae e capite cinis melle addito […]

     Heads of salted perch, reduced to ashes, and applied with honey, are equally useful for the purpose.

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	perca	percae
genitive	percae	percārum
dative	percae	percīs
accusative	percam	percās
ablative	percā	percīs
vocative	perca	percae

Descendants

Descendants

• Catalan: perca
• Italian: perca
• Old French: perche
  • → Middle English: perche
    • English: perch
  • French: perche
  • Norman: (Jersey) pèrche
• Portuguese: perca
• Spanish: perca
• Translingual: Perca
• ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *percula
  • Italian: perchia, >? pirchio

References

• “perca”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “perca”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "perca", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “perca”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Etymology 1

From Latin perca (“perch”), from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpɛh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpɛh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpɛχ.kɐ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɻ.kɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛʁ.ka/ [ˈpɛh.ka]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: per‧ca

Noun

perca f (plural percas)

1. perch (fish in the genus Perca)

Derived terms

• perca do Nilo

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• pêrca (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeχ.kɐ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɻ.kɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.ka/ [ˈpeh.ka]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: per‧ca

Verb

perca

1. inflection of perder:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Etymology 3

From inflected form of perder (“to lose”).

Alternative forms

• pêrca (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeh.kɐ]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeh.kɐ]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾ.kɐ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.kɐ/ [ˈpeχ.kɐ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈpeɻ.kɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpeʁ.ka/ [ˈpeh.ka]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɾ.kɐ/

• Hyphenation: per‧ca

Noun

perca f (plural percas)

1. (proscribed) synonym of perda

Further reading

• “perca”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “perca”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin perca, from Ancient Greek πέρκη (pérkē, “perch”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeɾka/ [ˈpeɾ.ka]

• Audio (Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾka
• Syllabification: per‧ca

Noun

perca f (plural percas)

1. perch, Perca fluviatilis

   Synonyms: robalo, róbalo, lubina

2. bass

Derived terms

• perca amarilla
• perca común
• perca del Nilo
• perca sol

Further reading

• “perca”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025