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de·coy (dēkoi′, dĭ-koi)
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n.
1.
a. A living or artificial bird or other animal used to entice game into a trap or within shooting range.
b. An artificial bird or other animal used to repel or frighten away unwanted animals.
2.
a. A means used to mislead or lead someone into danger.
b. A replica or imitation of something, especially when intended to deceive by obscuring the number or location of the actual objects being imitated: decoy warheads.
3. An enclosed place, such as a pond, into which wildfowl are lured for capture.
tr.v. (dĭ-koi) de·coyed, de·coy·ing, de·coys
1. To lure (an animal) into a trap or position to be hunted.
2. To entice or mislead by deception or into danger. See Synonyms at lure.
[Possibly from Dutch de kooi, the cage : de, the (from Middle Dutch; see to- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + kooi, cage (from Middle Dutch cōie, from Latin cavea).]
de·coyer n.
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decoy
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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