As we approach All Hallow's Eve and all its accompanying frightful creatures draw near, Merriam-Webster presents you with this guide — one monster a day to escape from should you ever be unlucky enough to encounter it.
"Some swear the creature is actually a vampire — resembling a large rat, but with horns and fangs ... In any case, the Chupacabra ... reportedly drains the blood of cows, sheep, and goats throughout the republic, leaving an unusually shaped wound." — Diana Reiss-Koncar, Vibe, April 1997
Definition:
: a grotesque creature that drinks the blood of livestock and is reported to exist in North and South America
Word Origin:
From Spanish chupa, 3rd person singular present tense of chupar "to suck" (probably of imitative origin) + cabra "goat" (cabras, plural)
Photo credit: Tory Novikova
