silver perch
- noun
- /ˈsɪlvər pɜːrtʃ/
- US
:
perca plateada
- The local fisherman showed off his catch, which included a hefty silver perch he was proud to display.
Examples
-
We'd been fishing for less than half an hour, and already each of us had caught several species, including pogies, surf perch, and silver perch.
Fiction book (1992) -
While fishing at the lake, we successfully caught a silver perch that made for a delicious dinner.
-
During our fishing trip, we were thrilled to hook a silver perch, known for its tasty flesh and sport appeal.
Synonyms
8
4.2
A freshwater fish with sharp fins that lives in lakes and rivers
1
6.6
A small silvery freshwater fish found in streams in eastern North America, often caught for food or sport
1
8.0
A small freshwater fish you can eat, often caught for food like bluegill or crappie
A small silvery fish from eastern United States rivers called white perch that people eat and catch for sport
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small silvery fish' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'silver' (silvery in appearance) with 'perch' (a type of fish). This adjective+noun naming pattern for animals is common across languages and follows regular English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Silver perch comes from the fish's shiny, silver color (silver) and the fact that it is a kind of perch fish (perch). So the name literally tells us this small, silvery fish is what people catch for 'food' and 'sport'.