Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

This page is dedicated to listing many of the general definitions and descriptions presented in run of the mull, every day encyclopedias and dictionaries.

## 1700s:

### 1788 A CLASSICAL DICTIONARY OF THE VULGAR TONGUE 2ed

* Publication Date: 1788
* Publisher: London: S. Hooper No 212 High Holborn Facing Bloomsbury Square

**To Vamp.** To pawn any thing. I'll vamp it, and tip you the cole; I'll pawn it, and give you the money. Also to refit, new dress, or rub up old hats, shoes, or other wearing apparel'; likewise to put new feet to old boots.

**Vampers.** Stockings.

## 1800s:

### A dictionary of science, literature, & art: comprising the definitions and derivations of the scientific terms in general use, together with the history and descriptions of the scientific principles of nearly every branch of human knowledge;

* Publication date: 1851
* Publisher: New York, Harper & Brothers
* Edited by: William Thomas Brande and George William Cox

Vampire: A bloodsucking specter; the object of superstitious dread among various nations of Europe. The belief in vampires, i.e., in persons returning to the earth after death and burial, not as ghosts, but in actual corporeal substance, and sucking the blood of living men, appears to have prevailed in classical times. The Empuse, Lamiae, and Lemures were species of vampires. One of the most detailed stories of vampires is the tale of Machates and Philinuion which Goethe has made the foundation of his poem of the Bride of Corinth : in which the dead bride of a young man visits him at night, and withers him by her embrace. But in modern Europe, the populations among which vampire superstitions have prevailed appear to be of Slavonic descent. The word vampire is said by Adelung to be of Servian origin; and although the modem Greeks have also their vampires, yet the barbaric, names by which they call them (Vroucolachas, Vuroulachas, Vardoulachas) seem rather to indicate the Slavonic, or perhaps Albanian source from which they derived both the tradition and the word. In Crete they are called Katakhanas, and firmly believed in. (See PashJey's Travels.) About a century ago, there prevailed in several districts of Hungary an epidemic dread of vampires, which lasted some years, and gave birth to many extraordinary stories. It was believed that in several places those among the dead who belonged to the class of vampires arose nightly from their graves and sucked the blood of the living, who fell into consumptions and perished; that those who had died in this manner became infected with vampirism ; and that the only way of exterminating the plague was by disinterring all the suspected vampires, and, if it were discovered that they exhibited the tokens of their hideous character, burning them to ashes, or driving a stake through their middle. The attestations winch these grotesquely fearful tales received, are among the most singular instances of human credulity recorded in all the annals of superstition. They are, in many instances, related on the authority of the pastors and other most credible persons of villages and towns, who depose to having been themselves witnesses of the scenes beheld on opening the vampires' graves. Some, indeed, had actually seen the specters themselves on their nightly excursions ; but more generally the subscriptions are by persons present at the inspection of the dead bodies; when, if the subject was a true vampire, he was generally found of a florid and hale complexion ; his hair, beard, and nails had grown ; his mouth, hands, &c, were stained with fresh blood ; his eyes open and brilliant. Sometimes, when the stake was driven through him, he was heard to utter cries like those of a living person. It was believed that the consumption produced by the sucking of the vampire could be cured by eating earth from his grave. The popular name of the vampire-bat (vespertilio spectrum), a small animal of South America which sucks the blood of persons asleep, is derived from these imaginary monsters.

* A dictionary of science, literature, & art: comprising the definitions and derivations of the scientific terms in general use, together with the history and descriptions of the scientific principles of nearly every branch of human knowledge; by William Thomas Brande and George W. Cox 1851 page 1291 https://archive.org/details/brandedictionary00branrich/page/1290/mode/2up

### The Penny Cyclopaedia

* The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
* by Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge
* Volume 26: Ungulata - Wales
* 1833

Vampire.

According to Dom Calmet's Dissertation sur les Vampires', the vampire is a dead man, who returns in body and soul from the other world, and wanders about the earth, doing every kind of mischief to the living. Generally, he sucks the blood of persons asleep, and thus causes their death. Those who are destroyed in this way become vampires. The only manner of getting rid of such unwelcome visitors is, according to the same author, to disinter their bodies, to pierce them with a stake cut from a green tree, to cut off their heads, and to burn their hearts.

The belief that the dead sometimes return to this world, in order to annoy the living, was prevalent among the nations of antiquity. Eastern nations have a similar superstition about malicious ghosts, called 'gouls,' &c. The belief in these apparitions was not destroyed by the introduction of Christianity, but remained, like many other superstitions bequeathed by paganism, in full force during the dark times of the middle ages. The laws of Charlemagne ('Capitularium pro Partibus Saxonise') contain certain enactments respecting apparitions called Shiga or Masca (this last word signifies a shapeless being). This circumstance proves the generality of this belief during that period.

The advance of civilization in modern times was unable to destroy a superstition founded upon a feeling by which the great mass of mankind is so frequently actuated - fear ; and many authors wrote books on the subject. Besides Dom Calmet, whom we have quoted, we may mention - Philip Rcrius, an author of the 17th century ; Michael Ranft, who published in the last century a treatise 'De masticatione mortuorum in tumulis;' Ferdinand von Schertz, 'In Magia Posthuma,' Olmiitz, 1706, &c.

The superstition about the vampires is chiefly prevalent in some parts of Eastern Europe. These apparitions are known in Poland under the name of 'L'pior;' in the Ukraine, 'Upeer;' in Russia, 'Googooka;' in Hungary, Servia, Greece, &c, ' Vroucolackas,' ' Vardoulacka,' ' Broncolucka,' &c.

Of all those countries, Hungary and its dependencies may be considered as the principal seat of vampirism, and scarcely a century has elapsed since all Europe was filled with reports about the exploits of vampires in Hungary and Serbia. It was during the five years from 1730 to 1730 that vampirism reached its height. It was so general, that Louis XV. of France commissioned his ambassador at Vienna, the Due de Richelieu, personally to ascertain, in Hungary and other Austrian dominions, t lie reality of vampirism. The French diplomatist denied in his report to the king the existence of the vampires, and he informed him at the same time that the anecdotes about them were inserted in the contemporary records of the Austrian tribunals. This superstition gained ground so much that the chief periodicals of that time contain accounts of cases of vampirism in Hungary ; such as, for instance, the ' Mercure Historique et Politique,' for October, 1736, pp. 403, 411; and the Dutch paper, ' Le Glaneur,' No. ix., for 1733.

We here insert one of them as giving an idea of those reports : —

The Hayduck\* Arnold Paul, a native of Madreiga on the frontiers of Serbia, was crushed 16 death by a wagon. Thirty days after his death a report was spread that he was wandering about the world and frightening people. Immediately afterwards four of his acquaintances died suddenly : this brought into the recollection of many that they had heard from Arnold himself that he was bitten by a vampire, and the Hayducks believe that a man w ho has been bitten or sucked to death by a vampire becomes a vampire himself ; consequently it w as decided by the whole village of the Hayducks that the deceased Arnold Paul was a regular vampire. Forty days alter his death, lie was solemnly disinterred, and all the signs of vampirism were found on his body by the general consent of all the villagers : his body was as fresh as that of a living man ; the nails, which had been pared, and the beard, which had been shorn, before the burial, had grown again; the veins were swollen and full of blood, with which himself and the winding sheet were covered. The elders of the village immediately ordered the body to be pierced straight through the heart, with a stake cut from a green tree ; this made him, according to the relation of eye-witnesses, utter a cry ; his head was cut off, and his body, as well as the bodies of those who were supposed to have died from his bite, were burnt.

The protocol of all this event was inserted in the records of a public office. A great number of similar anecdotes which had also been officially registered, are related by contemporary writers ; some of them even described the manners and customs of those vampires ; as for instance, that lying in their graves they suck and chew their winding-sheets, and that it was therefore necessary to place under their chins a piece of green turf in order that they might not be able to reach the sheets with their teeth, and to bind their hands, that they might not turn about in their coffins. Many believe that the vampires, The Hayducks were originally a kind of light infantry, instituted by Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary, for the defense of the frontiers. They were afterwards settled as u military colony on the banks of the river Theis. in a district still called this territory of the Hayduclu.

Not withstanding all the means used to destroy their bodies, will resume their shape, and recommence their mis- chievous wanderings, as soon as the rays of moonlight fall on their graves. This superstition is chiefly prevalent in Greece, and the tale of • The Vamoire,' ascribed to Lord Byron, was founded upon it.

"it may be supposed that the superstition about the vampire has derived considerable strength from cases where men, supposed to be dead, have been buried alive. Such cases have happened in many countries, as has been shown by the altered position of the body in the coffin, spots of blood on the torn winding-sheets, bites on the hands, and other marks of the struggle and despair before life became extinct. It is probable that such signs have been some- times interpreted as the marks of vampirism.

(Dom Calmet's Traité sur les apparitions des esprits et sur les vampires ou les revenans de Hongrie, de Moravie, &c., Paris 1746, 2 vols. 12mo. ; translated into English and published 1759.)

* The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, Volume 26: Ungulata - Wales by Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge https://archive.org/stream/ThePennyCyclopaediaOfTheSocietyForTheDiffusionOfUsefulKnowledge/ThePennyCyclopaediaOfTheSocietyForTheDiffusionOfUsefulKnowledgeVolume26Ungulata-Wales#page/n115/mode/2up

## 1900-1950

### The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Of Universal Information

The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Being A Concise And Comprehensive Dictionary Of General Knowledge Consisting Of Over 16,000 Terse And Original Articles On Nearly All Subjects Discussed In Larger Encyclopaedias, And Specially Dealing With Such As Come Under The Categories Of History, Biography, Geography, Literature, Philosophy, Religion. Science, And Art

* Edited By The Rev. James Wood
* Publication date: 1900
* Publisher London: F.Warne
* pages 666-667

**Vampire,** the ghost of a dead person accursed, fabled to issue from the grave at night and suck the blood of the living as they sleep, the victims of whom are subject to the same fate ; the belief is of Slavonic origin, and common among the Slavs.

* Wood, R., 1900. *The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Of Universal Information The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Being A Concise And Comprehensive Dictionary Of General Knowledge Consisting Of Over 16,000 Terse And Original Articles On Nearly All Subjects Discussed In Larger Encyclopaedias, And Specially Dealing With Such As Come Under The Categories Of History, Biography, Geography, Literature, Philosophy, Religion. Science, And Art*. London: F. Warne, pp.666-667. https://archive.org/details/b24850366/page/666/mode/2up

## 1951-1999

### Brewer's Dictionary Of Phrase & Fable, 1952 edition

* New York : Harper & Brothers Publishers
* Revised & Enlarged
* pages 934-935

**Vampire**. A fabulous being, supposed to be the ghost of a heretic, excommunicated person, or criminal, that returns to the world at night in the guise of a monstrous bat and sucks the blood of sleeping persons who, usually, become vampires themselves.

* 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 lace.

BYRON. The Giaour.

The word is applied to one who preys upon his fellows a "blood-sucker," One of the classics of English horror-romances, Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker was centred on vampires.

* 1952ed. Brewer's Dictionary Of Phrase & Fable Revised & Enlarged. New York : Harper & Brothers Publishers, pp.934-935. https://archive.org/details/brewersdictionar000544mbp/page/n941/mode/2up

## Online Dictionaries:

### Merriam-Webster

vampire noun - vam·​pire | \ ˈvam-ˌpī(-ə)r  \

**Definition of vampire**

* the reanimated body of a dead person believed to come from the grave at night and suck the blood of persons asleep

* 2a: one who lives by preying on others
* 2b: a woman who exploits and ruins her lover

* 3: VAMPIRE BAT

**Other Words from vampire**: vampiric \ vam-​ˈpir-​ik  \ adjective, vampirish \ ˈvam-​ˌpī(-​ə)r-​ish  \ adjective

**Synonyms:** bloodsucker, buzzard, harpy, kite, predator, shark, vulture, wolf

**Antonyms:** prey

**Examples of vampire in a Sentence:** ..."regarded debt collectors as vampires who made a living from the misery of others."

**Recent Examples on the Web**

* The series brought new narrative complexity and psychological — and especially psychosexual — richness to a pastiche of familiar characters, from Frankenstein's monster to Dr. Jekyll to myriad interconnected vampires, werewolves and witches.

— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels': TV Review," 24 Apr. 2020

* Or sneeze like a vampire, into your elbow rather than your hand.

— Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, "The biggest questions about the new coronavirus and what we know so far," 7 Feb. 2020

**First Known Use of vampire:** 1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1

**History and Etymology for vampire:** borrowed from French, borrowed from German Vampir, borrowed from Serbian vampir

* “Vampire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vampire. Accessed 20 Jun. 2020.

### Dictionary .com

vampire [ vam-pahyuh r ] 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 OF VAMPIRE** 1725–35; (< F) < German Vampir < Serbo-Croatian vàmpīr, alteration 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, Polish upiór, Old Russian upyrĭ, upirĭ, (Russian upýrʾ) < Slavic \*u-pirĭ or \*ǫ-pirĭ, probably a deverbal compound with \*per- fly, rush (literal meaning variously interpreted)

**OTHER WORDS FROM VAMPIRE** vam·pir·ic  [vam-pir-ik] , vam·pir·ish  [vam-pahyuh r-ish] , adjective

**WORDS RELATED TO VAMPIRE** beast, villain, monster, phantom, devil, demon, soul, shadow, specter, vision, parasite, sponge, freeloader, tick, leech, extortioner, visitor, haunt, bogeyman, bogey

**EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM THE WEB FOR VAMPIRE**

Mistletoe is basically a vampire—but one of those an anti-hero type vampires.

* MISTLETOE IS THE VAMPIRE OF PLANTS|HELEN THOMPSON|DECEMBER 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The vampire at the heart of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night neither sparkles nor sleeps in coffins.

* THE PUNK BEHIND IRAN'S ONLY VAMPIRE SPAGHETTI WESTERN-STYLE LOVE STORY|MELISSA LEON|NOVEMBER 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And someone named something like, “Vampire Man Randy,” commented on it and wrote, “sex feet.”

* HOW AIDY BRYANT STEALTHILY BECAME YOUR FAVORITE ‘SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’ STAR|KEVIN FALLON|OCTOBER 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Next door in Romania, a historical figure nicknamed Vlad the Impaler inspired the first mainstream depiction of a vampire.

* BULGARIA’S VAMPIRE GRAVEYARDS|NINA STROCHLIC|OCTOBER 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

1. “Vampire.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com. Accessed June 20, 2020. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vampire?s=t.