vampire
[ vam-pahyuh r ]
/ ˈvæm paɪər /
noun
a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
(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.
a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist.
a woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
an actress noted for her roles as an unscrupulous seductress: the vampires of the silent movies.
Origin of vampire
1725–35; (< F) < German
Vampir < Serbo-Croatian
vàmpīr, alteration of earlier
upir (by confusion with doublets such as
vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh air (< Slavic
vŭ-), and with intrusive nasal, as in
dùbrava, dumbrȁva grove); akin to Czech
upír, Polish
upiór, Old Russian
upyrĭ, upirĭ, (Russian
upýrʾ) < Slavic
*u-pirĭ or
*ǫ-pirĭ, probably a deverbal compound with
*per- fly, rush (literal meaning variously interpreted)
OTHER WORDS FROM vampire
vam·pir·ic [vam-pir-ik] /væmˈpɪr ɪk/, vam·pir·ish [vam-pahyuh r-ish] /ˈvæm paɪər ɪʃ/, adjectiveWords nearby vampire
Example sentences from the Web for vampire
British Dictionary definitions for vampire
vampire
/ (ˈvæmpaɪə) /
noun
(in European folklore) a corpse that rises nightly from its grave to drink the blood of the living
See vampire bat
a person who preys mercilessly upon others, such as a blackmailer
See vamp 1 (def. 1)
theatre
a trapdoor on a stage
Derived forms of vampire
vampiric (væmˈpɪrɪk) or vampirish, adjectiveWord Origin for vampire
C18: from French, from German
Vampir, from Magyar; perhaps related to Turkish
uber witch, Russian
upyr vampire