decoy

Where does the word "decoy" come from? It comes from Dutch de kooi, and was adopted directly into English (1620s).

Decoy’s story begins in Dutch: de kooi meant “the cage.” A funnel-shaped netted pond where tame ducks lured wild ones in, a device Dutch fowlers perfected. It reached English by 1620s as decoy. Dutch engineers draining the Fens brought the duck trap to England as a 'coy'; the Dutch article 'de' then fused on, and the word widened to any lure or trick. Today, decoy means something used to lure a person or animal into a trap.

1. Stage 1 · Dutch · 1600s de kooi "the cage", a funnel-shaped netted pond where tame ducks lured wild ones in, a device Dutch fowlers perfected.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1620s decoy "a duck trap; later a lure", Dutch engineers draining the Fens brought the duck trap to England as a 'coy'; the Dutch article 'de' then fused on, and the word widened to any lure or trick.