From Serbian 'vampir,' entering Western languages via 1730s Austrian military reports on Serbian vampirism.
A corpse supposed to leave its grave at night to drink the blood of the living; a person who preys ruthlessly on others.
From French 'vampire' or German 'Vampir,' from Serbian 'вампир' (vampir). The word entered Western European languages during the vampire panic of 1725-1732, when Austrian military officials in Serbia documented cases of alleged vampirism (notably Arnold Paole and Peter Plogojowitz). The ultimate origin is disputed — possibly from Proto-Slavic *ǫpirь (a creature that drinks), from a Turkic root *uber (witch), or from a pre-Slavic substrate. The word's murky, untraceable origin befits its subject. Key roots: vampir (Serbian: "a blood-drinking revenant"), *ǫpirь (Proto-Slavic: "a supernatural
The word 'vampire' entered English because of an eighteenth-century forensic investigation. In 1725 and 1731, Austrian military physicians in occupied Serbia exhumed corpses suspected of vampirism and wrote official medical reports. These reports (particularly the 'Visum et Repertum' of 1732) used the Serbian word 'vampir,' which then spread through French and German newspapers across Europe, creating