The Bat Was Named After the Myth
A vampire is a legendary being that feeds on blood. The bats came second: European naturalists named them after the folklore.
A vampire is a creature of folklore that feeds on blood. The order of naming surprises people: the legend came first, from central and eastern European tradition, and eighteenth-century naturalists then applied the name to blood-feeding bats they encountered in the Americas. Only three of the world's roughly 1,400 bat species feed on blood.
- A blood-drinking undead being. *A vampire legend.*
- Vampire bat — a blood-feeding bat. *Vampire bats feed at night.*
- Someone exploitative. *A corporate vampire.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | vampire | A fictional vampire. |
| Plural | vampires | Vampires in folklore. |
| Adjective | vampiric | Vampiric habits. |
| Compound | vampire bat | The common vampire bat. |
| Related | undead | Tales of the undead. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Vampire folklore spread across Europe in the 1700s.With official investigations in some regions.
- Vampire bats share blood meals with roost mates.A well-documented reciprocal behaviour.
- Dracula was published in 1897.Bram Stoker's novel shaped the modern image.
Vampire facts
- Three species — only three bats feed on blood, all in the Americas
- Anticoagulant — their saliva contains one, studied for medical use
- Food sharing — vampire bats regurgitate blood for hungry roost mates
- Folklore — much older and more varied than the novel version
- Dracula — a novel of 1897, not a folk original
Through French and German from a Slavic word, probably Serbian *vampir*. It entered English in the early eighteenth century as reports of folklore reached western Europe.
Which came first, the bat or the myth?
The myth. Naturalists applied the name to blood-feeding bats after Europeans encountered them in South America.
Do vampire bats attack people?
Rarely. They mostly feed on livestock and birds, taking small amounts of blood without killing the animal.