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.
The term 'catfishing' in online deception comes from a story about how catfish were placed in tanks with cod during shipping to keep the cod moving and prevent their meat from becoming mushy - the idea being that catfish keep people 'on their toes.' There are over 3,000 species of catfish worldwide, and some, like the Mekong giant catfish, can grow to over 600 pounds.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.