decoy

English

Etymology

From Dutch de +‎ kooi, literally "the cage". Possibly related to verb coy (which itself may have been influenced by decoy).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdiːkɔɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːkɔɪ

Noun

decoy (plural decoys)

1. A person or object meant to lure somebody into danger.
2. A real or fake animal used by hunters to lure game.
3. Deceptive military device used to draw enemy attention or fire away from a more important target.
   • 2002, Robotech: Battlecry – Guide and Walkthrough

     Just every 5 seconds or so shoot out a decoy near the Cats Eye and the enemies will aim for that instead of the Cats Eye.

4. An assembly of hooped or netted corridors into which wild ducks may be enticed (originally by tame ducks) and trapped.

Derived terms

• decoy-duck
• decoy effect
• decoyman
• duck decoy

 

Translations

person or object meant to lure something to danger

• Bulgarian: прима́мка (bg) (primámka)
• Burmese: ဒလန် (my) (da.lan)
• Catalan: esquer (ca) m, cimbell m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 引诱物 (yǐnyòuwù) (object), 引誘人／引诱人 (yǐnyòurén) (person), 誘餌／诱饵 (zh) (yòu'ěr)

• Danish: lokkemad c, lokkefugl c
• Dutch: lokvogel (nl) m, afleiding (nl) f
• Finnish: houkutin (fi), houkutuslintu
• French: leurre (fr) m, appât (fr) m
• Galician: engado, reclamo (gl), cebo (gl)
• German: Lockvogel (de) m, Köder (de) m
• Greek: δόλωμα (el) n (dóloma), κράχτης (el) m (kráchtis)
• Hungarian: csapda (hu)
• Italian: esca (it) f, richiamo (it) m
• Japanese: 囮 (ja) (おとり, otori), 好餌 (ja) (こうじ, kōji)
• Latin: illex m or f
• Maori: hunuhunu, kaipātari, hūhunu
• Polish: przynęta (pl) f
• Portuguese: chamariz (pt) m
• Romanian: momeală (ro) f
• Russian: прима́нка (ru) f (primánka), подсадна́я у́тка (ru) f (podsadnája útka), нажи́вка (ru) f (nažívka) (bait)
• Serbo-Croatian: мамац m (mamac)
• Spanish: señuelo, carnada (es) (colloquial)
• Swedish: lockbete (sv) n
• Tagalog: kati (tl), pangati

animal used by hunters to lure game

• Bulgarian: изку́ствена пти́ца f (izkústvena ptíca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 囮子 (zh) (ézi)

• Czech: návnada f
• Danish: lokkefugl c
• Dutch: afleiding (nl) f
• Finnish: houkutuslintu
• French: leurre (fr) m
• German: Lockvogel (de) m
• Greek: δόλωμα (el) n (dóloma)

  Ancient: παλευτής m (paleutḗs)

• Hungarian: csalétek (hu), csali (hu), csalimadár (hu), csalikacsa, (birdlime to catch birds) lép (hu)
• Icelandic: lokkunarfugl m
• Italian: zimbello (it) m, stampo (it) m
• Maori: tīmori
• Portuguese: chamariz (pt) m
• Russian: мано́к (ru) m (manók), подсадна́я у́тка (ru) f (podsadnája útka)
• Serbo-Croatian: mamac (sh) m
• Spanish: señuelo, carnada (es) (colloquial), cimbel m
• Swedish: lockfågel c, vette (sv) c
• Volapük: (bird) bätaböd, (duck) bätadök

deceptive military device

• French: leurre (fr) m
• Hungarian: csali (hu), csalimadár (hu)
• Italian: diversivo (it) m, falso bersaglio m

Verb

decoy (third-person singular simple present decoys, present participle decoying, simple past and past participle decoyed)

1. (transitive) To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap.

   to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net

   • 1770, [Oliver] Goldsmith, The Deserted Village, a Poem, London: […] W[illiam] Griffin, […], →OCLC:

     E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, / The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.

2. (intransitive) To act as, or use, a decoy. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Derived terms

• decoyable
• decoyer
• deke
• undecoyed

 

Translations

to act as, or use, a decoy

• Bulgarian: примамвам (bg) (primamvam)
• Danish: lokke
• Dutch: lokken (nl)
• French: appâter (fr), leurrer (fr), piéger (fr)
• German: ködern (de), locken (de)
• Greek: δελεάζω (el) (deleázo)

  Ancient: παλεύω (paleúō)

• Hungarian: (to use one) tőrbe csal, csapdába csal, (to act as one) csalogat (hu)
• Maori: onga, tīmori
• Russian: прима́нивать (ru) (primánivatʹ), примани́ть (ru) (primanítʹ)
• Ukrainian: прима́нювати impf (prymánjuvaty), примани́ти pf (prymanýty)

See also

• red herring

Anagrams

• coyed