Decoy Comes From the Dutch for the Cage
A decoy lures a target into a trap. The word came from a Dutch phrase for a duck cage, and English absorbed the article with it.
A decoy is something used to lure a person or animal into a trap. The word came from Dutch *de kooi*, meaning "the cage" — a duck decoy was a netted pond into which tame birds led wild ones. English swallowed the article: *de* is Dutch for *the*, so a decoy is really a the-cage. The same accident produced *alligator* from Spanish *el lagarto*, and *alcohol* from Arabic *al-kuhl*.
- A lure. *A wooden decoy duck.*
- A person used as bait. *A police decoy.*
- A distraction. *A decoy target.*
- To lure. *They decoyed him away.*
- Dutch — *de kooi*, the cage. *The source phrase.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | decoy | A decoy duck. |
| Plural | decoys | Painted decoys. |
| Verb | decoy | Decoy them out. |
| Past | decoyed | It decoyed the ship. |
| Dutch | kooi | A cage. |
- Hunters set out wooden decoys.Original use.
- The car was a decoy.Distraction.
- De kooi means the cage.Etymology.
Words that swallowed an article
- Decoy — Dutch *de kooi*, the cage
- Alligator — Spanish *el lagarto*, the lizard
- Alcohol — Arabic *al-kuhl*
- Algebra, alchemy, algorithm — all keep Arabic *al-*
- Lariat — Spanish *la reata*, the rope
Dutch *de kooi*, the cage, from Middle Dutch *koye*, from Latin *cavea*, a cage. English recorded it in the 1600s.
What was an original decoy?
A netted pond, with tame ducks used to lead wild ones into a narrowing channel where they could be caught.
Why does decoy contain the Dutch word for the?
English borrowed the whole phrase de kooi without recognising that de was an article.