De*coy" , n.
1. Anything intended to lead into a snare; a lure
that deceives and misleads into danger, or into the power of an enemy; a bait.
2. A fowl, or the likeness of one, used by
sportsmen to entice other fowl into a net or within shot.
3. A place into
which wild fowl, esp. ducks, are enticed in order to take or shoot
them.
4. A person employed by officers of justice, or parties exposed to injury, to
induce a suspected person to commit an
offense under circumstances
that will lead to his detection.
De*coy" (d&esl;*koi"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decoyed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Decoying.]
[Pref. de- + coy; orig., to quiet, soothe, caress, entice. See Coy.] To lead into
danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare;
to entrap; to insnare; to allure; to
entice; as, to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net.
Did to a lonely cot his steps decoy.
Thomson.
E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy,
The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy.
Goldsmith. Syn. -- To entice; tempt; allure; lure. See Allure.
Hear it pronounced