Decoy

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdiːkɔɪ/

Definitions

1. A person or object used to lure or distract someone into a trap, or to draw attention away from the real target or objective
2. a dummy figure or live creature employed to entrap game or enemies, or to divert attention from an actual target or operation
3. an artificial or genuine lure designed to beguile someone into danger or misdirect focus from what is genuinely important

Etymology: The most striking thing about "decoy" is that its core image is a birdcage. It comes from Dutch "de kooi", meaning "the cage", and the original device was a trap for wildfowl: a long, narrowing net-tunnel set up near water, into which ducks were lured and then caught. The decoy was the lure, the tame birds or artificial ones that drew wild ducks into the mouth of that cage. English took the word and gradually stretched it from the physical trap to anything used to entice someone into a dangerous or false position. The verb followed the same path, meaning to lure a person or animal into a trap or into a misleading situation. There is a possible link to "coy", the adjective for shy or evasive behaviour. The two may be related, and the verb "coy" may even have been shaped by "decoy", though the connection is not certain.

Synonyms: trap, bait, lure, attraction, distraction

Antonyms: deterrent, warning, alert