Vamped
/væmpt/noun
Simple past tense and past participle of vamp; to improvise, prolong, or update something, especially music or style.
Did you know?The modern slang sense comes from the verb vamp, but that verb was later influenced by vampyre/vampire imagery, so the word picked up a distinctly nocturnal, predatory vibe in English.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
vampe
“The upper part of a shoe, covering the instep.”
16th Century
French
avanpié
“The forepart of the foot or shoe.”
Late Middle English
English
vamp
“To add a vamp to a shoe; later, to patch up or refurbish.”
19th Century
English
vamp
“To improvise or prolong music or action in a showy way.”
19th Century
English
vampire
“A bloodsucking undead creature; this form helped shape the word’s darker figurative sense.”
Modern English
English
vamped
“Improvised, prolonged, or updated; also, in older slang, seduced or ensnared.”