Yiff/Wikipedia(2007-Jan)

Yiff is a term widely used by the furry fandom as a slang term in various sexual contexts. The word has a number of different meanings, as explained below.

Etymology
The term has been popularised by the furry fandom Internet roleplaying MU* community (in particular, FurryMUCK), originally intended as an onomatopoeic representation of the rumored sound made by mating foxes and, naturally, those who play anthropomorphic fox characters.

However, while the original meaning still remains, the term quickly developed into a synonym for "sex", "sexy", "aroused", and so on, and nowadays this meaning is the most prevalent. Examples of the word's present usage include "a yiffy fur", meaning a furry who is sexually aroused or active, "yiffy artwork", meaning sexually explicit furry artwork, "to yiff", meaning to have sex, etc.

An alternative etymology exists; around the time that yiff came to exist in the furry community, an August 27 1990 cover story in Fortune Magazine coined the term "Yiffies", describing a new breed of worker, the "Young, Independent, Freedom-minded Few" (a naming convention somewhat akin to that used with the yuppies, Young Urban Professionals). While this generation contained many of the first FurryMUCKers, the connection between the two terms is subject to speculation.

Different meanings
The precise meaning of the word "yiff" and its derivatives can vary, depending on precisely where and by whom the terms are being used.

Being humorously attributed to the sound made by mating foxes, the term is most commonly used to indicate sexual activity or material. This applies to sex (whether online or offline), and to sexual arousal and erotic material causing it - in short, it is used as a catch-all term for anything related to furry sexuality.

Beyond the context of sex Yiff has yet another definition. It sometimes is used to describe a light form of anthropomorphic art in which the characters physical attributes are less than is generally attributed to the furry genre. Examples of this style are easily shown with the characters that are defined as "Catgirls" or "Bunny Girls". Appearing commonly in Japanese anime they are humans with a few animal like physical features such as ears and a tail. They are not so animal that they can be called furry and thus the concept of Yiff came about.

Cybersex
Also known as "TinySex" and "TextSex", it is the act in which one or more players engage in a conversation of sorts, where, by using descriptive phrases, their "tinybodies" or fursonas engage in an act which mirrors sex in real life for the implicitly agreed upon purpose of sexual gratification.

Having originally been popularised in an Internet roleplaying environment, the term is widely known as a reference to cybersex among furries. It refers generally to textual descriptions of the sexual act written through a role playing or persona playing environment.

This is generally the meaning of "yiff" on MUCKs, and often on instant messaging systems or chat rooms such as IRC, AIM or ICQ.

Erotic or pornographic art
Possibly the most widely known definition of "yiff", this meaning involves the visual arts, particularly drawing and painting. The nature of the artwork can vary from slightly erotic poses to heavily pornographic art (often called spoogy art, or simply spooge, in a reference to a slang word for male ejaculate). Humor is also often a component of "yiffy" art.

This is a common meaning used on artwork forums and websites. Many furry artists have gallery websites with yiff sections as well.

Derived words

 * Yiffy: sexually aroused (person), sexually arousing (art), or one frequently sexually aroused (person)
 * To yiff or be yiffing: to perform cybersex or sexual intercourse, mostly used when describing sex between one fur and another.
 * Yiffable: someone that is sexually attractive.
 * Yiffiness: Noun form of yiff.

Debates
Yiff arouses debate and dispute within the furry fandom. Media attention -- including a Vanity Fair article, an MTV special and even a C.S.I. episode -- has focused almost exclusively on the yiffy aspects of furry fandom. The large amount of yiffy art available on the internet is looked down upon by some professional artists, and in some cases puts those artists off drawing furry art at all, either because they feel that yiff devalues the whole area of anthropomorphic art, or because they feel that their non-yiffy art will be tarred with the same brush as the yiffy artists by those from outside the fandom.