Dracula
Americannoun
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(italics) a novel (1897) by Bram Stoker.
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Count, the central character in this novel: the archetype of a vampire.
Etymology
Origin of Dracula
Origin uncertain; perhaps from Romanian Drăculea, a diminutive or patronymic of drăcul “the dragon,” and derived from a knightly order called the “Order of the Dragon” ( Ordo Draconum ), founded in 1408 by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund ( 1368–1437 ), then king of Hungary, to defend Christianity and the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. After Vlad II Dracul (c. 1395–1447 ) was admitted to the order around 1431, he wore the dragon emblem of the order. Later, when Vlad II was prince of Wallachia (now part of Romania), his coinage bore the image of the dragon, from which the name Dracula is derived. Vlad II’s son, Vlad III (Vlad Ţepeş “Vlad the Impaler,” c.1431–c.1476 ) is most likely the model for the Bram Stoker character. Cf. dragon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Films including The Mummy, The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula became global box-office hits, starring actors including Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
He picked up Christopher Lee at the airport once, and — as a big fan of Dracula — he half-believed he saw the English actor transforming into a vampire while they drove to the club.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
And in fifth place at $4.5 million was Luc Besson's English-language adaptation of "Dracula," which was released in select countries outside the United States last year.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
After a century’s worth of Dracula pictures, the exposition seems a bit superfluous, and Mr. Waltz, a two-time Oscar winner, can’t do much with his dialogue, which sounds like guidance from “Vampire Stalking for Dummies.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026
Again, when, after the battle of Mohács, we threw off the Hungarian yoke, we of the Dracula blood were amongst their leaders, for our spirit would not brook that we were not free.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
