browse words by letter
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
vampire |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Vampire \Vam"pire\, n. [F. vampire (cf. It vampiro, G. & D. vampir), fr Servian vampir.] [Written also {vampyre}.] 1. A blood-sucking ghost; a soul of a dead person superstitiously believed to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep, thus causing their death. This superstition is now prevalent in parts of Eastern Europe, and was especially current in Hungary about the year 1730. The persons who turn vampires are generally wizards, witches, suicides, and persons who have come to a violent end or have been cursed by their parents or by the church, --Encyc. Brit. 2. Fig.: One who lives by preying on others an extortioner; a bloodsucker. 3. (Zo["o]l.) Either one of two or more species of South American blood-sucking bats belonging to the genera {Desmodus} and {Diphylla}. These bats are destitute of molar teeth, but have strong, sharp cutting incisors with which they make punctured wounds from which they suck the blood of horses, cattle, and other animals, as well as man, chiefly during sleep. They have a c[ae]cal appendage to the stomach, in which the blood with which they gorge themselves is stored. 4. (Zo["o]l.) Any one of several species of harmless tropical American bats of the genus {Vampyrus}, especially {V. spectrum}. These bats feed upon insects and fruit, but were formerly erroneously supposed to suck the blood of man and animals. Called also {false vampire}. {Vampire bat} (Zo["o]l.), a vampire, 3. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: False \False\, a. [Compar. {Falser}; superl. {Falsest}.] [L. falsus p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf OF faus, fals, F. faux, and AS fals fraud. See {Fail}, {Fall}.] 1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious given to deceit; dishnest; as a false witness. 2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as a false friend, lover, or subject; false to promises. I to myself was false, ere thou to me --Milton. 3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or likely to deceive or disappoint; as a false statement. 4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive; counterfeit; hypocritical; as false tears; false modesty; false colors; false jewelry. False face must hide what the false heart doth know --Shak. 5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in grammar. Whose false foundation waves have swept away --Spenser. 6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental. 7. (Mus.) Not in tune. {False arch} (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an arch, though not of arch construction. {False attic}, an architectural erection above the main cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or inclosing rooms {False bearing}, any bearing which is not directly upon a vertical support; thus the weight carried by a corbel has a false bearing. {False cadence}, an imperfect or interrupted cadence. {False conception} (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus. {False croup} (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane. {False} {door or window} (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or windows or to give symmetry. {False fire}, a combustible carried by vessels of war, chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the purpose of deceiving an enemy; also a light on shore for decoying a vessel to destruction. {False galena}. See {Blende}. {False imprisonment} (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody. {False keel} (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's lateral resistance. {False key}, a picklock. {False leg}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Proleg}. {False membrane} (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an animal membrane. {False papers} (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving false representations respecting her cargo, destination, ect., for the purpose of deceiving. {False passage} (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments. {False personation} (Law), the intentional false assumption of the name and personality of another. {False pretenses} (Law), false representations concerning past or present facts and events, for the purpose of defrauding another. {False rail} (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of the head rail to strengthen it {False relation} (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed by a flat or sharp. {False return} (Law), an untrue return made to a process by the officer to whom it was delivered for execution. {False ribs} (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are five pairs in man. {False roof} (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and the roof. --Oxford Gloss. {False token}, a false mark or other symbol, used for fraudulent purposes. {False scorpion} (Zo["o]l.), any arachnid of the genus {Chelifer}. See {Book scorpion}. {False tack} (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling away again on the same tack. {False vampire} (Zo["o]l.), the {Vampyrus spectrum} of South America, formerly erroneously supposed to have blood-sucking habits; -- called also {vampire}, and {ghost vampire}. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the genera {Desmodus} and {Diphylla}. See {Vampire}. {False window}. (Arch.) See {False door}, above. {False wing}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Alula}, and {Bastard wing}, under {Bastard}. {False works} (Civil Engin.), construction works to facilitate the erection of the main work as scaffolding, bridge centering, etc From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: vampire n : (folklore) a corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of the living [syn: {lamia}]
more about vampire
This work is licensed under a
