catfish

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of numerous scaleless, chiefly freshwater fishes of the order Siluriformes, characteristically having whiskerlike barbels extending from the upper jaw. Also called regionally bullhead, mud cat.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A name of the wolf-fish, Anarrhichas lupus, from its dentition and its ferocity when caught. See wolf-fish.
2. n. A name generally given in the United States to species of the family Siluridæ, which when taken out of the water emit a sound like the purring of a cat. The North American species are robust fusiform fishes with 8 barbels, a short dorsal with a strong pointed spine in front, a posterior adipose fin, and a moderate anal. They have been referred to five genera, Amiurus, Gronias, Ictalurus, Leptops, and Noturus. The species of the first two are of some economical importance, and contribute considerably to the food of the poorer classes at least. The most common in the eastern streams are the A. nebulosus and A. albidus, and in the west the A. melas. The largest are the A. nigricans of the great lakes and the A. ponderosus of the Mississippi, the latter sometimes attaining a weight of 100 pounds. The most esteemed is the I. punctatus of the great lakes and the Mississippi valley, recognizable by its slender head and forked tail. The name has been also extended to similar fishes in various parts of the world, and even to species of different but related families.
3. n. A name given in some parts of England to the weever, Trachinus draco.
4. n. A local English name of the scyllioid shark, Scyllium catulus.
5. n. A local English name of the torsk, Brosmius brosme.
6. n. A name in New Zealand for fishes of the family Uranoscopidæ, especially the Ichthyscopus monopterygius.
7. n. In Victoria and New South Wales, a fresh-water fish, Copidoglanis tandanus. It inhabits the rivers of the Murray system, but not those of the center of the continent. Also called eel-fish and tandan. In Sydney the same name is applied also to Cnidoglanis megastoma.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any fish of the order Siluriformes, that are mainly found in freshwater, are without scales, and have barbels like whiskers around the mouth.
2. n. Internet, psychology, slang a person who sets up or runs a false puppet social networking identity profile for fraudulent or deceptive purposes

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) A name given in the United States to various species of siluroid fishes; This name is also sometimes applied to the wolf fish. See bullhrad.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. large ferocious northern deep-sea food fishes with strong teeth and no pelvic fins
2. n. any of numerous mostly freshwater bottom-living fishes of Eurasia and North America with barbels like whiskers around the mouth
3. n. flesh of scaleless food fish of the southern United States; often farmed