"vampire" Definition

Definitions for the word "vampire" from multiple English dictionaries.

1. n.
A blood-sucking ghost; a soul of a dead person superstitiously believed to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep, thus causing their death. This superstition is now prevalent in parts of Eastern Europe, and was especially current in Hungary about the year 1730.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
2. n.
Fig.: One who lives by preying on others; an extortioner; a bloodsucker.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
3. n.
Either one of two or more species of South American blood-sucking bats belonging to the genera Desmodus and Diphylla. These bats are destitute of molar teeth, but have strong, sharp cutting incisors with which they make punctured wounds from which they suck the blood of horses, cattle, and other animals, as well as man, chiefly during sleep. They have a caecal appendage to the stomach, in which the blood with which they gorge themselves is stored.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
4. n.
Any one of several species of harmless tropical American bats of the genus Vampyrus, especially V. spectrum. These bats feed upon insects and fruit, but were formerly erroneously supposed to suck the blood of man and animals. Called also false vampire.
Source: The 1913 Webster Unabridged Dictionary, 1913
5. n.
1 supposed ghost or reanimated corpse sucking the blood of sleeping persons. 2 person who preys ruthlessly on others. 3 (in full vampire bat) tropical (esp. South american) bloodsucking bat. [french or german from magyar]
Source: Oxford English Dictionary, 1884

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This page provides a list of definitions and meanings for "vampire" from various historical English dictionaries. By displaying multiple definitions, you can compare and contrast different meanings and nuances of a word, phrase, or slang. You can also see the changes in meaning of "vampire" over time by viewing the definitions from different dictionaries published at different times in history. The page also includes other information to help users expand their vocabulary and understand the context of the word.

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