Definition of DEPOPULATE

depopulate

Verb

  • reduce in population
    • "The epidemic depopulated the countryside"
  • To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.
  • To remove the components from a circuit board.
  • To become depopulated, to lose its population.

Adj

  • Depopulated.
  • Barren, devoid of inhabitants; utterly destroyed, devastated .

Origin / Etymology

First attested in 1531; borrowed from Latin dēpopulātus, perfect active participle of dēpopulor (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)). Compare depeople, French dépeupler, Italian spopolare, Spanish despoblar, Portuguese despovoar and Romanian despopora; by surface analysis, de- + populate. Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Scrabble Score: 15

depopulate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
depopulate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
depopulate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

depopulate: valid Words With Friends Word