Yiffing is sexual interaction between two or more members of the furry community. The term comes from the word used to describe the excited noise that foxes make during mating. It is one of many animalistic terms used to describe the way members of the furry community behave. That’s because the furry community aligns itself with the animal kingdom and so proudly uses the words for animal behaviors to describe their own habits.
The term yiffing can describe any sexual activity between members of the furry community that occurs face-to-face or in the virtual world. The term yiffing often refers to groping, fondling, or dry humping, often when people are in fur-suits. It also refers to cyber sex between members of the furry community.
People may also use the term yiffing to show their own sexual interest or ask someone about their sexual intentions. For example, someone may say they want to yiff another furry. Someone could also ask their furry friend if they are interested in yiffing another furry they just met. The term yiffing is often used in this way to gauge sexual interest at furcons and other furry events.
Yiffing can also serve as an adjective for pornographic material featuring furries. Sexually explicit furry art and videos often contain the words "yiffing" or "yiff" in their titles. Using these common terms can make furry pornography easier to find online.
The term yiffing is one of the oldest terms the furry community uses. Many people say it’s been around since the 1980s or 1990s—long before the advent of popular furry websites. Some say the term originated as a sexual variation of "yipp," another word used to describe fox sounds. "Yiffing" hit the mainstream in the 2000s when online users of sites like 4chan expressed anti-furry sentiments. These critics used the term yiffing to mock furries' sexual interests and activities. Phrases such as “yiff in hell” encouraged furries to be less visible. In recent years, furries have reclaimed the terms yiff and yiffing. For example, millennial furries often joke online about yiffing one another.
