Dracula

[ drak-yuh-luh ]

noun

1. (italics) a novel (1897) by Bram Stoker.
2. Count, the central character in this novel: the archetype of a vampire.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dracula¹

Origin uncertain; perhaps from Romanian Drăculea, a diminutive or patronymic of drăcul “the dragon,” and derived from a knightly order called the “Order of the Dragon” ( Ordo Draconum ), founded in 1408 by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund ( 1368–1437 ), then king of Hungary, to defend Christianity and the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. After Vlad II Dracul (c. 1395–1447 ) was admitted to the order around 1431, he wore the dragon emblem of the order. Later, when Vlad II was prince of Wallachia (now part of Romania), his coinage bore the image of the dragon, from which the name Dracula is derived. Vlad II’s son, Vlad III (Vlad Ţepeş “Vlad the Impaler,” c.1431–c.1476 ) is most likely the model for the Bram Stoker character. dragon

Example Sentences

He wanted a Polish classical composer for “Dracula” and approached Witold Lutosławski — who told Coppola it would take him five years to compose the amount of score required.

From Los Angeles Times

The co-writer of BBC drama series Sherlock and Dracula has been a "horror obsessive" for as long as he can remember.

From BBC

Inspired by the town's association with Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, it started out as a one-off meeting of pen-friends in The Elsinore pub.

From BBC

“Dracula is such a foundational myth,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

An amateur historian has discovered a long-lost short story by Bram Stoker, published just seven years before his legendary gothic novel Dracula.

From BBC