English
depopulation
Depopulation comes from Latin dēpopulātiō ‘marauding, pillaging, sacking, plundering’, from populus ‘community, people’, and ultimately from Old Latin populus.
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEpopulus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘community, people’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpopulor‘to plunder or pillage’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpopulor‘to sack, plunder, pillage, despoil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpopulātiō‘marauding, pillaging, sacking, plundering’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500depopulacion
- Englishearliest quotation 2025depopulation
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEpopulus
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsame form‘community, people’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpopulor‘to plunder or pillage’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpopulor‘to sack, plunder, pillage, despoil’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdēpopulātiō‘marauding, pillaging, sacking, plundering’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500depopulacion
- Englishearliest quotation 2025depopulation
Earliest quotation: 2025, Andy Comfort, £10 million closer to Carlisle: “A 2022 report published by the Scottish Borders Council…”
Equivalent to depopulate + -ion
Latin dēpopulātus
English depopulate
Linked words
through Old Latin populus
through Latin populus ‘community, people’
people, popular, pueblo, populous, populace, poplar, 10 more
through Latin populor ‘to plunder or pillage’
Today it means
noun The act of depopulating or condition of being depopulated; the destruction or expulsion of inhabitants.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old Latin populus / depopulation