Vampirism is the term describing which specific practice?

Vampirism is the practice of drinking blood, especially in the traditional belief that a vampire survives by consuming the blood of living people or animals. The word can also describe the condition or behavior associated with being a vampire.

Vampire folklore developed in many regions, but the modern European image became especially influential through stories from Eastern Europe. In those traditions, a vampire was often portrayed as a deceased person who returned from the grave at night to attack the living. Beliefs about vampires sometimes led communities to reopen graves and perform protective rituals such as staking, burning, or decapitating the corpse.

The term is also used more broadly in literature, film, and popular culture. Fictional vampires may drink blood to gain strength, preserve youth, or spread vampirism through a bite. Drinking blood should not be confused with psychic vampirism, a metaphorical idea involving the supposed draining of another person’s energy. In ordinary trivia usage, however, drinking blood is the canonical answer.