51Թ

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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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • vampiric adjective
  • vampirish adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of vampire1

First recorded in 1725–35; from French or directly from German Vampir, from Serbo-Croatian àī, alteration of earlier upir (by confusion with doublets such as vȁzdūh, ȕzdūh “air” (from Slavic ŭ- ), and with intrusive nasal, as in dùbrava, dumbrȁva “grove”); akin to Czech ܱí, Polish ܱ辱ó, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ ( Russian ܱýʾ ), from unattested Slavic -辱ĭ or ǫ-辱ĭ, probably a compound noun formed with unattested root per- “fly, rush” (literal meaning variously interpreted)
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of vampire1

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

“It’s the vampires that come out at night,” Griffin said.

From

Skarsgård was so compelling as Eric Northman in "True Blood" that he had people all over the world swooning and dreaming to be friends with a vampire.

From

Combining elements of musicals, horror and period drama, the movie fuses vampire lore with meticulous historic research about that time and place in America.

From

I got to have a nightclub, seeing all the vampires in the nightclub, turning the nightclub into a wedding — that was such a spectacle and so funny and stupid.

From

The play tells a story of vampires, love, loneliness and survival, and was directed by Bryony Shanahan.

From

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vamphornvampire bat