Brewer's: Vampire

An extortioner. According to Dom Calmet, the vampire is a dead man who returns in body and soul from the other world, and wanders about the earth doing mischief to the living. He sucks the blood of persons asleep, and these persons become vampires in turn.

The vampire lies as a corpse during the day, but by night, especially at full moon, wanders about. Sir W. Scott, in his Rokeby (part iii. chap. ii. s. 3) alludes to the superstition, and Lord Byron in his Giaour says,

But first on earth, as vampire sent, Thy corse shall from the tomb be rent, Then ghastly haunt thy native place And suck the blood of all thy race.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language