decoy (English)

Where does "decoy" come from?

The English noun 'decoy' comes from Dutch 'de kooi', literally meaning 'the cage'[1]. The second part of this compound, 'kooi', traces back through Middle Dutch 'coye' to the Latin noun 'cavea'[3], which is derived from 'cavus' meaning hollow[5][9]. The definite article 'de' descends from Middle Dutch 'die', which goes back to Old Dutch and further into Germanic and Indo-Semitic roots[4][7][8]. The term may also have a relationship with the verb 'coy'[1].

Open questions

• The potential relationship between the word decoy and the verb coy is described as a possible connection rather than a proven one. [1]

Full etymology tree

• decoy (English), 'A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.'
  • compound de (Dutch), 'the; definite article, masculine and feminine singular, plural'
    • inherited die (Middle Dutch), 'the; definite article.'
      • inherited thie (Old Dutch), 'that, that one'
        • inherited *sa (Proto-Germanic), 'that'
          • inherited *só (Proto-Indo-European), 'this'
  • compound kooi (Dutch), 'cage'
    • inherited coye (Middle Dutch)
      • borrowed cavea (Latin), 'hollow, cavity'
        • derived cavus (Latin), 'hollow, hollowed out, cavernous, concave'
          • inherited *kawos (Proto-Italic)
            • inherited *ḱowh₁ós (Proto-Indo-European)
              • derived *ḱewh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to swell'

Ancestors

• de (Dutch)
• kooi (Dutch)

Descendants and derived words

• decoy-duck (English)
• decoy effect (English)
• decoyman (English)
• duck decoy (English)

Sources

1. decoy (English) - Wiktionary
2. de (Dutch) - Wiktionary
3. kooi (Dutch) - Wiktionary
4. die (Middle Dutch) - Wiktionary
5. cavea (Latin) - Wiktionary
6. thie (Old Dutch) - Wiktionary
7. sa (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
8. só (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
9. cavus (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris