Vampiric

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /væmˈpɪɹɪk/

Definitions

1. Describing beings that derive sustenance by feeding on the blood of the living
2. Pertaining to entities that survive by consuming blood from others
3. Connected with beings known for drawing life force through blood-drinking

Etymology: Vampiric is a plain formation: the noun "vampire" with the adjective-forming suffix "-ic" added to it, so it means "of or like a vampire." The suffix itself has a longer road into English. It descends from Latin "-icus" (borrowed from Greek "-ikos"), which passed into Old French as "-ique" and reached Middle English as "-ik," where it became "-ic" in the modern spelling. The noun it rests on has a more surprising past. "Vampire" reached English through German and French from Serbo-Croatian "vampir," and that word is generally traced to Slavic roots, with a possible connection to Turkic terms for an evil spirit or witch. The bloodsucking sense was therefore a borrowed one, attached to a creature from Eastern European folklore.

Synonyms: bloodsucking, sanguinary

Antonyms: nonvampiric