مَصَّاص دِمَاء
maṣṣāṣ dimāʔmasculine
The Arabic word for vampire is مَصَّاص دِمَاء (maṣṣāṣ dimāʔ). Wiktionary also lists مَصَّاصَة دِمَاء (maṣṣāṣat dimāʔ).
Meaning: mythological creature (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مَصَّاص دِمَاء | maṣṣāṣ dimāʔ | masculine |
| مَصَّاصَة دِمَاء | maṣṣāṣat dimāʔ | feminine |
The term refers to the mythological creature, but it can also be used metaphorically to describe a person who exploits others, similar to the English term 'bloodsucker'.
What does it mean word for word?
مَصَّاص دِمَاء is a compound noun consisting of maṣṣāṣ, meaning sucker or aspirator and dimāʔ, meaning blood.
Which one should you use?
مَصَّاص دِمَاء is the masculine form, while مَصَّاصَة دِمَاء is the feminine form used when referring specifically to a female vampire.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, speakers use the informal فَامْبيْر.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form مَصَّاصَة دِمَاء is used to specify a female subject.
How do you pronounce it?
maṣṣāṣ dimāʔ
Did you know?
- The word مَصَّاص is used not only for monsters but also as the common word for a 'drinking straw' in many dialects.
- The word دِمَاء in مَصَّاص دِمَاء is the plural form of 'blood', which is unusual because English treats blood as an uncountable mass noun.
- In Arabic, the concept of a 'vampire' as a sophisticated aristocratic figure is a modern Western import, as traditional spirits like جِنّ (jinn) occupy the supernatural space.
Examples in context
- انتبه من مصاصي الدماء في تلك القصة.Beware of the vampires in that story.
- هذا مَصَّاص دِمَاء في الفيلم.Hadha massas dima' fi al-film.This is a vampire in the movie.
Example conversation
Maryam and Ziad are discussing a horror movie.
- مريم Maryamهل أعجبك الفيلم يا زياد؟Hal a'jabaka al-film ya Ziyad?Did you like the movie, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadنعم، لكن مَصَّاص دِمَاء كان مخيفاً جداً.Na'am, lakin massas dima kana mukhifan jiddan.Yes, but the vampire was very scary.
- مريم Maryamأنا لم أخف منه أبداً.Ana lam akhaf minhu abadan.I wasn't afraid of him at all.
- زياد Ziadربما لأنك تحبين قصص الرعب يا مريم.Rubbama li'annaki tuhibbin qisas al-ru'b ya Maryam.Maybe because you love horror stories, Maryam.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vampire” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
