ˈvamˌpī(ə)r, ˈvaam-, -īə noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from German vampir, of Slavic origin; akin to Serbian vampir vampire, Russian upyr
1. : a bloodsucking ghost or reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep and causing their death
2.
a. : one who lives by preying mercilessly on others : extortioner , bloodsucker
b. : a mercenary unscrupulous woman who seduces, exploits, and ruins her lover: as
(1) : a stage character of this kind
(2) : an actress playing such roles
3. also vampire bat : any of various bats reputed to feed on blood: as
a. : any of several large So. and Central American leaf-nosed bats (as a false vampire or spearnose bat) that in fact feed on insects rather than blood
b. : any of various So. American bats constituting the genera Desmodus and Diphylla of the family Desmodontidae that are structually adapted for subsisting on blood with incisor and canine teeth modified for slitting the skin, with the stomach small and tubular, and with the intestine short and are dangerous to man and domestic animals especially because they are vectors of equine trypanosomiasis and of rabies in some regions
c. : any large bat (as a fruit bat) of the Old World supposed to suck blood but actually either insectivorous or frugivorous
4. : a stage trapdoor for sudden disappearances
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