Where does “decoy” come from?
Decoy comes from Dutch de combined with Middle Dutch die, derived from Latin cavea meaning an enclosed space, from Latin cavus meaning hollow, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱówHwos.
decoy (English): A person or object meant to lure somebody into...
Definitions
- A person or object meant to lure somebody into...
Ancestry of “decoy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Dutch | de | the |
| 2 | Middle Dutch | die | the; definite article; that, those; who, which,... |
| 3 | Old Dutch | thie | that, that one; that |
| 4 | Old Dutch | thē | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *sa | — |
| 6 | Proto-Austronesian | *əsa | — |
| 7 | Proto-Oceanic | *isa | — |
Words derived from “decoy”