vampire

Etymology

From French vampire, from German Vampir, via Hungarian from a Slavic word, probably Serbo-Croatian вампир (vàmpīr), proposed to be a variant of unattested *upir, from Proto-Slavic *ǫpyrь, q.v. Compare Russian упы́рь (upýrʹ), Polish upiór, Polish wąpierz, etc. Doublet of oupire.

noun

1. A mythological undead creature said to feed on the blood of the living.
   [I]n the Village of Medreyga in Hungary, certain dead Bodies (call'd there Vampyres) had kill'd several Persons by sucking out all their Blood: That Arnold Paul, an Heyduke, having kill'd four Persons after he was dead, his Body was taken up 40 Days after, which bled at the Nose, Mouth and Ears: That, according to Custom, they drove a Stake thro' his Heart, at which he gave horrid Groan, and lost a great deal of Blood. And that all such as have been tormented or kill'd by Vampyres, become Vampyres when they are dead. 20 May 1732, The London Journal, page 76, column 1
   The universal belief is, that a person sucked by a vampyre becomes a vampyre himself, and sucks in his turn. 1819, John William Polidori, The Vampyre, London: Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, page xxi
   I'm a vampire, baby, sucking blood from the earth / Well, I'm a vampire, baby, sell you twenty barrels worth 1974, Neil Young (lyrics and music), “Vampire Blues”, in On the Beach
2. (colloquial) A person with the medical condition w:Porphyria cutanea tarda, colloquially known as vampirism, with effects such as photosensitivity and brownish-red stained teeth.
3. A blood-sucking bat; vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus)
4. (figurative, derogatory) A person who drains one's time, energy, money, etc.
5. (dated) A vamp: a seductive woman who exploits men.
   "What followed this decision was exactly what we had expected: Mr. Fox, realizing that the public was tiring of Theda Bara in vampire roles, announced that he would star her in a production of Romeo and Juliet," she illustrated. 2004, David W. Menefee, The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era, page 4
6. (US, slang) A medical technician who works with patients' blood.
   Only one technician in the hospital lab, in all we have encountered, uses it. […] Eric makes no complaints other than those directed at the vampires. Brenda and I do. 1992, Terry Pringle, This is the Child
   "I draw blood from patients, and then I take it back to the lab and analyze it. Sometimes, the vampires do all the sticks, that is to say the lab assistants do all the blood collections." He grinned. "We have our own language at the lab." 2000, Tracie Peterson, Colorado Wings, page 373
7. (US naval jargon) Synonym of anti-ship missile (ASM), particularly an incoming hostile one.
   Vampire. Vampire. Vampire. Battle stations.

verb

1. (transitive, figurative) To drain of energy or resources.