populated
/ˈpɒpjʊleɪtɪd/
adjective
Origin
Latin
populatus — laid waste, ravaged, or filled with people
Overview
Meaning Now
- Having a population of a specified number or type of inhabitants.
- Occupied or inhabited by people.
Literal older meaning
Filled with people
Language path
Latin → Middle English → English
Earliest form
populatid
Earliest period
16th century
Journey
The verb 'populate' derives from the Latin 'populare', which originally meant to 'devastate' or 'ravage' (as in destroying a population). Over time, the meaning shifted to its opposite: to fill or supply with inhabitants.
Evolution
- Latin
populare
“to ravage, to people”
Original sense was to 'lay waste', which evolved to 'fill with a population'
- Late Latin
populatio
“the act of peopling”
- Middle English
populate
“to inhabit”
Connections
Word parts
popul
root
people
ate
suffix
forming a verb from a noun
ed
ending
forming a past participle adjective
Related across languages
French
peuplé
populated
Spanish
poblado
populated
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Related to populated
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.