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vampirish

 - 3 dictionary results

vam⋅pire

  [vam-pahyuhr]
Use vampirish in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1725–35; (< F) < G Vampir < Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr, alter. 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, Pol upiór, ORuss upyrĭ, upirĭ, (Russ upýrʾ) < Slavic *u-pirĭ or *ǫ-pirĭ, prob. a deverbal compound with *per- fly, rush (literal meaning variously interpreted)

Related forms:
vam⋅pir⋅ic  [vam-pir-ik] , vam⋅pir⋅ish  [vam-pahyuhr-ish] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To vampirish
vam·pire   (vām'pīr')   
n.  

  1. A reanimated corpse that is believed to rise from the grave at night to suck the blood of sleeping people.

  2. A person, such as an extortionist, who preys upon others.

  3. A vampire bat.


[French, from German Vampir, of Slavic origin.]
vam·pir'ic (vām-pĭr'ĭk), vam·pir'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl), vam'pir'ish (-ĭsh) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: vam·pire
Pronunciation: 'vam-"pI(&)r
Function: noun
: VAMPIREBAT
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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