dracula means the fictional vampire in the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker.
dracula is pronounced /ˈdɹækjʊlə/.
Why “dracula” is a great word
Dracula is the name of the fictional vampire Count Dracula created by Bram Stoker, derived from the historical Wallachian prince Vlad III Dracula, and by extension, a term for any vampire. From the name Vlad III Dracula, from his father Vlad II Dracul, who was given the name Dracul (literally 'the Devil') by the Order of the Dragon; Dracul comes from Romanian drac ('devil'), itself from Latin dracō ('dragon'). Unlike "vampire," a general term for a blood-feeding revenant, or "nosferatu," which conjures a plague-ridden monstrosity, Dracula carries the weight of a specific lineage: a name that began as an honorific for a dragon-knight and descended through a son who earned it through cruelty. It is the castle on the Borgo Pass where the coachman's lantern flickers out, the guest book at the Golden Krone Hotel signed in a hand centuries old, and the silhouette of a gentleman in evening wear against a moonlit casement—proof that the ancient world never truly ended, it only learned to wait.
Etymology
From the name Vlad III Dracula (also known as Vlad Țepeș (“Vlad the Impaler”)), from the name of his father Vlad II Dracul, who was given the name Dracul by the Order of the Dragon. Dracul (literally “the Devil”) comes from the Romanian drac (“devil”), itself deriving from the Latin dracō (“dragon”).
name
- The fictional vampire in the novel of the same name by Bram Stoker.
- A former prince of Wallachia.
noun
- Any vampire.e.g.“But he would have had to have been over 250 years old! Like a Dracula or something.”
Words closest in meaning
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