vanpire -
n. 1 a ghost or reanimated corpse supposed to leave its
grave at night to suck the blood of persons sleeping.
2 a person who preys ruthlessly on others.
3 (in full vampire bat) any tropical (
esp. South American) bat of the family Desmodontidae, with incisors for piercing flesh
and feeding on blood.
4 Theatr. a small spring trapdoor used for sudden disappearances.
vampiric adj. [F vampire or G Vampir f. Magyar vampir perh. f. Turk. uber witch]
