Dupe Comes From the French Word for a Hoopoe
To dupe is to deceive someone. The word is named after a bird thought to be foolish.
To dupe is to deceive someone, and a dupe is the person deceived. The French word *duppe* came from *huppe*, a hoopoe — a crested bird with a reputation for stupidity and filthy nesting habits. Calling someone a hoopoe was calling them a fool, and the insult hardened into a verb. In modern use *dupe* is also a clipping of *duplicate*, which is a separate word entirely and a much later arrival.
- To deceive. *Duped by the offer.*
- A deceived person. *An innocent dupe.*
- A duplicate (informal). *A dupe of the file.*
- Hoopoe — the bird behind it. *A hoopoe.*
- French — *duppe*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | dupe | Duping. |
| Noun | dupe | A dupe. |
| Past | duped | Duped. |
| Clipping | dupe | A duplicate. |
| French | huppe | A hoopoe. |
- They duped him completely.Deception.
- He was an innocent dupe.Victim.
- Named after a bird.Etymology.
Birds that became insults
- Dupe — from the hoopoe, thought foolish
- Gull — a bird, and an old word for a person easily fooled
- Booby — from Spanish *bobo*, a fool, then the bird
- Cuckoo — meaning mad, and the source of cuckold
- Turkey — American slang for a failure
French *duppe*, from *huppe*, a hoopoe, a bird with a reputation for stupidity.
Why is dupe named after a bird?
The hoopoe had a reputation for stupidity and dirty nesting, so calling someone one meant calling them a fool.
Is dupe meaning duplicate the same word?
No. That is a modern clipping of duplicate and has no connection to the older verb.