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I use the word vamp simply as a prefix refering to all who walk in darkness. I have never really heard it used for a specific definition as per male of female, but it is interesting to see it is used in differant ways.

Until rich/famous stuck up women were called divas the term Vamp was used.

okay so darkwolfman has heard of this before

the use of this is the old diva... what is the definition of diva if you will, being that it is your answer..

a little more detail and research will be appreciated

it can also be used as an expression of darkness

Perhaps it's a generational thing, but I have always associated the word "vamp" with the "Femme Fatales" of the 1920 and '30's; the seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. The first name that comes to mind with that designatiion is Theda Bara.

The only time I even associated the word with the "Vampire" itself, was when the movie "Vamps" with Grace Jones came out.

Vamp: A woman who uses her sex appeal to entrap and exploit men. A femme fatale.

I have also used it to shorten the word Vampire. I am guilty of being lazy at times.

is it to describe the darkness or those who walk in the darkness?

I have never used it to describe only a female vampire, I have always used it as a shortened version of the word vampire when talking about vampires in general not only females.

I had never heard of this, I always just assumed that it was just something people used when not wanting to type out the whole word.

Like I said I didn't know this, but if I use the word again it probably will not be in reference to the female vampire only, I mean I have used it to talk about all vampires before not just females...and well everyone pretty much seemed to understand what I meant, so why change things?

And yeah I actually did learn something new, I had never known it was used for female vampires only.

"Cos' the lady is a vamp, she's a vixen not a tramp
She's a dadadadada da da
Come on fellow raise your bets cos you ain't seen nothing yet
She's the top of the top she's the best"

That's a Spice Girls song, 'The Lady is a Vamp' and if you're super cool like me you'll know it. As far as I've always known the term 'vamp' is nothing to do with vampires at all but as you originally discovered, it is to describe a seductive woman. Or as my thesaurus puts is, "seductress, temptress, siren, femme fatale, sex kitten, trollop, home wrecker, man-eater; flirt, coquette, tease." It's also used as an abbreviation of vampire but that is a recently coined meaning.

Like the term...That lady is a Vamp...changed to Tramp.

Diva aka Whitney Houston, Tina Turner,Oprah etc

Someone who has money and power and thinks they are better then other people....or have younger men as lovers or boy toys.

Vamp also known as blood sucker...no pun intended.
a Vampy woman that has money and uses it to show her power over others...Martha Stewart.

No not for men.
I can only hope that some day I'll be described as one; a sexy woman with lots of wealth and power over people, muahaha :D

*Dreams are free*

I've heard of this...Cher sang about it in the 70's.

Damn...I just showed my age.

I have heard the seductress definition many times over, its been around for a long time and I personally have never shortened vampire to just vamp.

Slang for vampire or A lady Vampire , probly coming from the movie Vamps. ladies of the night.

I knew the 20's definition, but language is a mobile thing.

The new usage makes sense in a non-sexist, inclusive way, especially since modern male vampires often seem rather metrosexual. The males "vamp" as much as the females, probably more.

I have heard of the term "Vamp" to describe a woman in the older movies. Also, Cher's song refers to a lady "Vamp"also.

The word used in reference to a seductive woman , is nothing new under the sun......but as time and societiy changes so does its slang.

I use it both ways.

I also associate the term 'vamp' with the femme fatales of the teens and 20's...
Now, I use the term to define those femme fatales and vampires - interchangeable now.

I( think vamp is merely a slang term for vampires that some teens thought up back in the day..

I've never heard of it just for a way to describe a female vampire nor do I believe so.

I myself believe that 'vamp' is just a shortened version of vampire and nothing more.


Hell, its better then 'vampy'.

_I dunno...I never really use that word. To be honest, if I were a vampire, I wouldn't want to be called a Vamp...it's like calling a human a Hum...same thing. Not to mention that if you're calling someone a vamp, as you said, you're basically saying that they are a tramp, and to be honest, who wants to be called that all the time. No...I'd much rather just say "vampire" and avoid the confusion.

Though...I DID learn something today. It's interesting to know when the term, "Vamp" started to be used for an abbreviation to "Vampire."_

i use vamp as a term to coin those who are known as "poseurs" or wannabes


true vampires and vampires

and i have never used it to identify only a female

Seems you are not alone in the definitions ~Hellhathwings~, hollywood gave the definition the same result with the seductive woman bit. In the movie: Vamp, the vampire even though not at all beautiful or seductive, was portrayed by a woman and not a man.

i usually hear vampire more than vamp but there are other terms for us female as in vampress ^^ smiles

Personally I use it for describing an attractive woman which is after a certain thing from a man... She's attractive, but she has something evil in her look...

I just use it to say vampire..

Cuz I'm too lazy to type out the whole thing.

Ha.

-Juggalette givin MMFWCL

vamp is just short for vampire as i see it.. I havent saw any other meaning.

The English language is one lazy language. A lot of words mean multiple things.

When I see or use Vamp, I think and mean Vampire.

I would never call anyone I respected a VAMP.
Unless of course vampy was something they were trying to project as an image (like Vampirella.)

To call a man a vamp, even in jest... unless they were in drag... would be akin to starting a fight, and I would not say it unless I expected blood to be spilled.

Vamp is not short for Vampire anymore than Man is short for Woman.

the word vamp can be used in different ways

ill still say vamp cause im too lazy to say the ire part lol i have heard before though in a movie or something before that she's getting all vamped up or something probably used because vampires are supposed to be gorgeous & seductive to lure in their prey

I notice that many of the dictionary definitions and most of the posts referring to the femme fatales from the old Hollywood days tend to view the term "vamp" in a pejorative, negative sense (an insult, or near-insult, as it were).

There was, historically, a positive side to the usage as it pertained to Hollywood femme fatales. I am thinking here of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich [sp?] Mae West: when "vamp" was used to refer to the likes of these women, it connoted a tough, smart, quick-witted, sexy, sensual woman who was in control of her own destiny and did not take any shit from anyone. I was familiar with that usage and connotation before I was aware of any other.

To me the word vamp was used as a way of describing manly a woman that was seductive, that would get others to do her bidding, she controls, just as a vampire would.

Yes, I knew that Vamp meant a seductive woman, a little like Vixen...

I don't say Vamp when referring to a Vampire, as I'm not lazy! :)

Here are several Urban Dictionary definitions of vamp

There's also a definition of vamplez there. hehehe

here it is used to leave. Like im gonna vamp see ya later.

when i use vamp its usually in music reference cds of music that are made to use practicing your instrument are called vamp tracks,. . . also succubis is female demon aint it? it might be discussed already but im using my phone. . .

I never knew that vamp also refured to a seductive women, i dought i will use the word vamp as mush anymore to refrence a vampire.

I wasn't aware the term "vamp" was used other then a shorted version of "vampire" or "vampyr" and am guilty of being lazy and using it in that manner. Though the information you have presented is vaild, i think i will still be lazy and use it as the shorted version of "vampire"

I have always used the Vamp as a sensual meaning sexy or lustful

I use the word vamp sometimes, instead of vampire.

The word vamp to describe a lady who is...' dressed to death and killed with fashion ' has been in use in the Uk for alot of years.

i didn't know about the exclusivly feminine meaning of the word, but now that i do, that is how i will use it

Here's that Cher thing I was talking about...

cheesy as all hell.

I have heard of the Vamp female reference but I only use it as a shorted word for vampire!!

After thinking about it some, I don't recall ever using the word, vamp. Re-'vamp' on the other hand, I have used, although that obviously has a completely different meaning.

I see that you have had quite a few varying answers, HellHathWings. This was a really good discussion question

I have long known the term "vamp" to mean something akin to a "femme fatale". I don't know where I first heard the term or why it was ever used, but that is the first definition I think of. And yes, in this definition, it was always in regards to a female.

Like many others here, I have also seen the term used as a
short version of "Vampire". I suppose this is really lazy on the part of most people, but that is their business, not mine. I have also seen some people use it as a verb; i.e. "vamping out". Meaning they let what they call their "beast" control them rather than acting mature and responsible.

My best friend and I used to dress in all black and wear a lot of make-up.... described ourselves as "vampy"

I forgot that the word 'vamp' can also be used when you 'revamp' something, or change it or ... yeah.

With 'revamp' the prefix 're' is adhered to 'vamp', duh. But in this sense, 'vamp' means to concoct or construct. So to revamp is to reconstruct. Naturally.

In regard to 'vamp' in relation to the female half of our species, the term was coined in the early 1900s when flappers and the like started coming into existence and was used most extensively in the period now termed as 'the Roaring Twenties' or 'The Jazz Age'(F.S. Fitzgerald).

The term was used in a more or less derogative manner to play on the extortive nature of some flappers that took their new found freedom a bit too far( that is to say: too far for the contemporary individual in the early 1900s).