dupe
/djuːp/
noun
Origin
French
dupe — hoopoe
Overview
Meaning Now
- A person who is easily deceived or tricked.
- A person who is used by another person for their own advantage.
Literal older meaning
hoopoe (bird)
Language path
Latin → French → English
Earliest form
dupe
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The term stems from the French folk belief that the hoopoe (upupa) was a foolish or easily captured bird. By the 17th century, the term was adopted into English to refer to individuals who displayed similar qualities of being easily gulled or manipulated.
Evolution
- Latin
upupa
“hoopoe (bird), noted for its supposed foolishness”
Imitative of the bird's call.
- Old French
dupe
“hoopoe”
The initial 'd' is thought to be from the contraction of 'la dupe'.
- 17th century English
dupe
“a person easily tricked”
Introduced from French context.
Connections
Word parts
dupe
root
hoopoe/fool
Related across languages
French
victim of a trick
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Related to dupe
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.