French word

vampire

Pronunciation

IPA/vɑ̃piʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvampire

Example

Tu crois aux vampires ?

Do you believe in vampires?

Illustration for vampire (vampire)

More examples

Le mythe du vampire existe depuis longtemps.

The vampire myth has existed for a long time.

Core concept

A nocturnal undead figure whose survival is linked to human blood and whose name can describe a draining person metaphorically.

Common phrases

  • une histoire de vampire

    a vampire story

  • le mythe du vampire

    the vampire myth

  • se déguiser en vampire

    dress up as a vampire

Similar words

zombie: An almost mindless walking corpse that moves slowly.
fantôme: A spirit believed to appear after a person's death.
loup-garou: A mythical being that transforms from a human into a wolf during the full moon.
monstre: A fictional creature that is frightening and potentially dangerous to people.

Definition in French

Créature légendaire qui se nourrit du sang des êtres humains, active surtout la nuit et souvent présentée comme non-morte.

Word origin

The French noun vampire is a borrowing related to Slavic vampir, transmitted into French through German Vampir.

Usage tips

  • French vampire is pronounced roughly vahm-peer, with a nasal first vowel and a pronounced final r unlike the common English pronunciation.

Opposites

Related words

  • vampiriquevampiricadjective
  • vampirismevampirismnoun
  • vampirisationvampirizationnoun

Word lists with this word