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 vampires
British Dictionary definitions for vampires
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
Cultural definitions for vampires
vampires
Originally part of central European folklore, they now appear in horror stories as living corpses who need to feed on human blood. A vampire will leave his coffin at night, disguised as a great bat, to seek his innocent victims, bite their necks with his long, sharp teeth, and suck their blood.