Etymologically
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decoy

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdiːkɔɪ/, /dɪˈkɔɪ/[1]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Dutch de kooi (“the cage”),[2][3][4] from Middle Dutch côie,[2][5] from Latin cavea (“cage, enclosure”).[2][6][4][5] English first had coy (1621) for a place to trap ducks, and the Dutch article de was apparently taken as part of the word.[6][4][5] A card game called decoy, popular from about 1550 to 1650, may have influenced the form.[4][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A swindler (1618), though the link with the later senses is doubtful.[7][6][4]

Semantic evolution

The hunting sense came in 1625: a pond with netted channels into which wild ducks were lured.[7][6] From this came the trained bird used to entice others (1661), and later the artificial bird used for the same purpose.[7][5] The word was used figuratively for any enticement or trap (1655) and for a person who lures another (1638).[7][4] In the 20th century it also named objects meant to fool radar.[5]

Timeline

  • 1618 – a swindler (obsolete).[7][6][4]
  • 1625 – a pond for trapping wild ducks.[7][6]
  • 1638 – a person who lures another into a trap.[7]
  • 1655 – any enticement or trap.[7]
  • 1660 – verb, to lure persons by deceit.[7][6]
  • 1661 – a bird trained to lure others.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A real or artificial bird or other animal used to lure game.
  2. A pond into which wildfowl are lured for capture.
  3. A person or thing used to lead someone into a trap.
  4. Something used to draw attention away from something else.

Verb

  1. To lure or trap by means of a decoy.

Word family

  • decoyer
  • cage

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press