Etymology Map
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Decoy

2 stages from Dutch to English.

Today it means something used to lure a person or animal into a trap

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

1
Stage 1 of 2
de kooi
Dutch · 1600s
"the cage"
a funnel-shaped netted pond where tame ducks lured wild ones in, a device Dutch fowlers perfected
2
Stage 2 of 2
decoy
English · 1620s
"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
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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.