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 Words From

• 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

I wanted this vampire soap opera to be over, but we are stuck somewhere between the living and the dead.

From Salon

Her lack of glamour is in sharp contrast to Scherzinger’s Norma, who flits about like a vampire in a black slip dress.

From Los Angeles Times

But Jackie remained in the small Pennsylvania town where he tried to hide from another fearsome vampire because he really liked the people who lived there.

From Salon

In the 2008 film “Twilight,” a vampire describes the scent of blood as being “like a drug.”

From Salon

He explains stories about the vampires "come back over and over again" because they "get in your bones and haunt you," with many raising questions of immortality, death and love.

From BBC

Related Words

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