Dracula
[ drak-yuh-luh ]
/ ˈdræk yə lə /
noun
(italics)
a novel (1897) by Bram Stoker.
Count,
the central character in this novel: the archetype of a vampire.
Origin of Dracula
≪ Low German
Dracol, Dracole, Dracle a by-name of the Wallachian prince Vlad II, “the Impaler” (1431–76); orig. of the name is disputed, but it has long been popularly associated with Romanian
dracul the devil (
drac devil (< Latin
dracō
dragon) +
-ul definite article)
Cultural definitions for dracula, count
Dracula, Count
The title character of Dracula, a novel from the late nineteenth century by the English author Bram Stoker. Count Dracula, a vampire, is from Transylvania, a region of eastern Europe now in Romania. He takes his name from a bloodthirsty nobleman of the Middle Ages. To lay the vampire Dracula's spirit to rest, one must drive a wooden stake through his heart.
notes for Dracula, Count
Count Dracula was played in films by the Hungarian-born actor Bela Lugosi, whose elegant, exotic accent has become associated with the character.