catfish en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈkætfɪʃ/
- [ˈkʰæt̚fɪʃ]
Etymology
From cat + fish. Likely so named for its prominent barbels like a cat's whiskers. Compare West Frisian katfisk (“catfish”), Dutch katvis (“catfish”). Compare also German Seekatze (“catfish”, literally “sea-cat”).
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) Any fish of the order Siluriformes, mainly found in fresh water, lacking scales, and having barbels like whiskers around the mouth.
“You don’t see catfish that big anymore, except in Chernobyl […] Nobody fishes there anymore, so the catfish thrive. They’ve gotten really enormous, some even twelve or thirteen feet long. They’re bottom-feeders, and apparently the mud still contains a lot of radioactive particles, but the catfish don’t seem to mind.”
2013, Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being, Canongate Books (2019), page 213:
- (countable, uncountable) The meat of such a fish, popular in the Southern U.S. and Central Europe.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| catfish | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| catfishes | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
stinging catfish · striped catfish · Pac-Man catfish · ghost catfish · channel catfish · North American freshwater catfish · airsac catfish · electric catfish · holy catfish · whale catfish · blue catfish · bumblebee catfish · African glass catfish · cuckoo catfish · widemouth blindcat · Striped Raphael catfish · talking catfish · wels catfish · Mississippi catfish · three line catfish · suffering catfish · mailed catfish · upside-down catfish · Danube catfish · flathead catfish · African sharptooth catfish · leopard catfish · airbreathing catfish · naked catfish · Chao Phraya giant catfish · catfish effect · walking catfish · shark catfish · cat · gafftopsail catfish · banjo catfish · driftwood catfish · thorny catfish · mudcat
Synonyms
river chicken · sheat · catlet · sheatfish
Translations (114)
ms keli (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · hy լոքո (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nv dághaałóóʼ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es bagre (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ta கெழுது (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cy cathbysgod (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · rsk харча (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ba йәйен (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · io siluro (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ja 鯰 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ga cat mara (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · my ငါးခူ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · afb كاتفش (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · yue 塘蝨 /塘虱 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · et säga (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nb malle (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ky жайын (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · bn মাগুর (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ar سَلُّور (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · hu harcsa (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ln ngolo (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nog яйын (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · lv sams (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · arz قرموط (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · de Wels (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tr kedi balığı (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sv mal (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · grc γλάνις (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ta கெளுத்தி மீன் (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · az naqqa (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es barbo (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fr poisson-chat (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ja ナマズ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sl som (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · kdr yayın (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · alt сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nan-hbl 鯰魚 /鲶鱼 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · th ปลาดุก (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ast siluru (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · de Katzenwels (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · unm wisamèkw (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · uk сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es siluro (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nay pummerrie (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · grc σίλουρος (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sh со̏м (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · xmf ღლამი (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · pl sum (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · lo ປາໜັງ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · eu katuarrain (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fi monnikala (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tk lakga (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fa گربهماهی (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sh sȍm (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · mk сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · xmf ლოქო (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · pt bagre (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fa سلور (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ccp 𑄟𑄉𑄪𑄢𑄴 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · he שְׂפַמְנוּן (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · it pesce gatto (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tr yayın (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · bg сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nup ezhègi (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tt җәен (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cs sumec (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ro somn (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cmn 鯰魚 /鲶鱼 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · az naxa (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tpi mausgras (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fr silure (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · el γατόψαρο (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · pt peixe-gato (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cmn 鮎形目 /鲇形目 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · bni ngolo (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · id lele (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ko 메기 (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · win hoowįx (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ca silur (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · zai guluxu (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · la silūrus (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · be сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es pez gato (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · eo katfiŝo (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · paw paksaku (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · km ត្រីឆ្លាំង (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · tl hito (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · fi monni (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · yo ẹja àrọ̀ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ru сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ta கெளிறு (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · bcl tabangungo (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sva ლოქო (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cop ϫⲉⲗϥⲁⲩ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ka ლოქო (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · vi cá trê (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ab аԥа́шәԥсыӡ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · syc ܣܱܠܽܘܪܴܐ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · gl siluro (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · lt šamas (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · rsk сом (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · ro silur (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es juilín (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · os локо (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sw kambare (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · chr ᏧᎵᏍᏓᎾᎵ (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · alt јайын (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · da malle (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · nl meerval (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · cho nakishwana (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · dsb som (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · es filín (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · kk жайын (type of fish — see also sheatfish) · sk sumec (type of fish — see also sheatfish)