A type of freshwater fish with whisker-like barbels around its mouth. Also refers to someone who creates a false online persona to deceive others in digital relationships.
Compound word from 'cat' + 'fish', named for the whisker-like barbels that resemble a cat's whiskers. The deceptive online meaning emerged in the 2010s from the documentary 'Catfish', which compared online deception to how catfish were used to keep cod active during shipping.
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