vampire

[ vam-pahyuhr ]

noun

1. a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
2. (in Eastern European folklore) a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.
3. a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
4. a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
5. an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress:

   the vampires of the silent movies.

vampire

/ ˈvæmpaɪə; væmˈpɪrɪk /

noun

1. (in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
2. See vampire bat
3. a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
4. See vamp 1
5. theatre a trapdoor on a stage

Derived Forms

• vampiric, adjective

Other Word Forms

• vam·pir·ic [vam-, pir, -ik], vam·pir·ish [vam, -pahy, uh, r-ish], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of vampire¹

First recorded in 1725–35; from French or directly from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr, alteration of earlier upir (by confusion with doublets such as vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh “air” (from Slavic vŭ- ), and with intrusive nasal, as in dùbrava, dumbrȁva “grove”); akin to Czech upír, Polish upiór, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ ( Russian upýrʾ ), from unattested Slavic u-pirĭ or ǫ-pirĭ, probably a compound noun formed with unattested root per- “fly, rush” (literal meaning variously interpreted)

Word History and Origins

Origin of vampire¹

C18: from French, from German Vampir, from Magyar; perhaps related to Turkish uber witch, Russian upyr vampire

Example Sentences

Described by the Guardian as a "deliciously pulpy supernatural soap opera", the TV version was part of a craze for vampire stories that also included Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Twilight and True Blood.

From BBC

Smith, who created the “Vampire Diaries” book series that inspired the CW drama of the same name and contributed to pop culture’s obsession with vampires, has died.

From Los Angeles Times

At the first game of the following season, some opposition fans turned up dressed as vampires.

From BBC

To justify this outright disinformation, Musk has insisted that "millions of people" getting Social Security checks are "definitely dead," calling them "vampires" and declaring "tax dollars are being stolen."

From Salon

Turns out that Trump isn’t just a vampire, but he likes to play with his food before he eats it.

From Salon

Related Words

• demon
• devil
• phantom
• shadow
• soul
• specter
• vision