Perch vs Flounder - What's the difference?

In intransitive terms the difference between perch and flounder

is that perch is to stay in an elevated position while flounder is to act clumsily or confused; to struggle or be flustered.

As a proper noun Perch

is {{surname|lang=en}.

perch

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) perche, from (etyl) perca, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en-noun)

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

Any of the about 200 related species of fish in the taxonomic family Percidae.

Several similar species in the order Perciformes, such as the grouper.

Hyponyms

* Balkhash perch, European perch, yellow perch * (fish in family Percidae) darter, pike-perch, zander * (fish in order Perciformes) bass

Derived terms

* (black perch) * (blue perch) * (grey perch) * (gray perch) * (red perch) * (red-bellied perch) * (perch pest) * (silver perch) * (stone perch) * (striped perch) * (white perch)

Etymology 2

From (etyl) perche, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en-noun)

a rod, staff, or branch of a tree etc used as a roost by a bird

* Tennyson

Not making his high place the lawless perch / Of winged ambitions.

A pole connecting the fore gear and hind gear of a spring carriage; a reach.

a position that is secure and advantageous, especially one which is prominent or elevated

(dated) a linear measure of 5½ yards, equal to a rod, a pole or ¼ chain; the related square measure

a cubic measure of stonework equal to 16.6 × 1.5 × 1 feet

(textiles) a frame used to examine cloth

Derived terms

* knock someone off his perch

Verb

(es)

To rest on (or as if on) a perch; to roost.

To stay in an elevated position.

To place something on (or as if on) a perch.

* {{quote-news

, year=2012 , date=September 7 , author=Dominic Fifield , title=England start World Cup campaign with five-goal romp against Moldova , work=The Guardian citation , page= , passage=The most obvious beneficiary of the visitors' superiority was Frank Lampard. By the end of the night he was perched 13th in the list of England's most prolific goalscorers, having leapfrogged Sir Geoff Hurst to score his 24th and 25th international goals. No other player has managed more than the Chelsea midfielder's 11 in World Cup qualification ties, with this a display to roll back the years.}}

(transitive, intransitive, textiles) To inspect cloth using a .

flounder

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) floundre, from . Cognate with Danish flynder, German Flunder, Swedish flundra.

Noun

(en-noun)

A European species of flatfish having dull brown colouring with reddish-brown blotches; fluke, European flounder, .

(North America) Any of various flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae or Bothidae.

A bootmaker's tool for crimping boot fronts.

(rfi, the bootmaker's tool)

External links

* (wikipedia "flounder")

Etymology 2

Possibly from the noun. Possibly from (founder) or from (etyl) . See other terms beginning with fl , such as (flutter), (flitter), (float), (flap), (flub), (flip)

Verb

(en verb)

To flop around as a fish out of water.

To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance.

Robert yanked Connie's leg vigorously, causing her to flounder and eventually fall.

To act clumsily or confused; to struggle or be flustered.

* Sir W. Hamilton

They have floundered on from blunder to blunder.

He gave a good speech, but floundered when audience members asked questions he could not answer well.

* 1996 , , Virago Press, paperback edition, page 136

He is assessing directions, but he is not lost, not floundering .

Usage notes

Frequently confused with the verb founder. The difference is one of severity; floundering'' (struggling to maintain a position) comes before ''foundering (losing it completely by falling, sinking or failing).

References

English nouns with irregular plurals