Vampyre
/ˈvæm.paɪər/noun
An archaic or literary spelling of vampire, a reanimated corpse or supernatural being that feeds on the blood of the living.
Did you know?The English word entered through French and German reports of Balkan vampire panics in the 18th century, when officials and scholars treated the undead as a real social and medical mystery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Slavic
PSl
*ǫpirь / *upirь
“A blood-drinking undead or harmful supernatural being”
Old East Slavic
OES
upyrь
“An undead or vampiric creature”
18th Century
German
Vampir
“A vampire, especially in reports of Balkan folklore and alleged cases”
18th Century
French
vampyre
“A vampire; a literary and learned spelling”
18th–19th Century
English
vampyre
“An archaic literary spelling of vampire”