▪ I. deˈpopulate, ppl. a.
[ad. L. dēpopulāt-us, pa. pple. of dēpopulāre (-ārī), in its med.L. sense.]
Laid waste; deprived (wholly or partly) of inhabitants. Used † a. as pa. pple. in which use it was at length superseded by depopulated; b. as adj. now arch. or poet.
| a. 1531 Elyot Gov. i. ii, The kynge of Mede had depopulate the countrey. 1580 North Plutarch (1676) 377 By spoil of Wars depopulate, destroyed and disgrast. |
| b. 1622 F. Markham Bk. War iii. iv. 94 [A] Country that is poore and wasted or barren or depopulate. 1737 N. Clarke Hist. Bible ii. (1740) 127 Locusts, which left the earth as naked and depopulate. 1818 Shelley Lines Euganean Hills 127 When the sea-mew Flies, as once before it flew, O'er thine isles depopulate. 1855 F. Chamier My Trav. III. ii. 51 The people..are half starved, badly clothed, and depopulate. |
▪ II. depopulate, v.
(dɪˈpɒpjʊleɪt)
[f. ppl. stem of L. dēpopulāre (usually deponent -ārī) to lay waste, ravage, pillage, spoil; f. de- I. 3 + populāre (-ārī) to lay waste, ravage, spoil (f. populus people), lit. to spread or pour in a multitude over (a region); but in med.L. to spoil of people, depopulate, in sense associated with the Romanic parallel form *dispopulare, whence It. despopolare (dipopolare), Sp. despoblar, Pr. despovoar, OF. des-, de-peupler, now dépeupler, English dispeople, depeople.]
† 1. trans. To ravage, plunder, lay waste. Obs.
| 1548 Hall Chron. 56 He set furth toward Caen..depopulatyng the countrey, & destroiyng the villages. 1622 Bacon Hen. VII (J.), He turned his arms upon unarmed and unprovided people, to spoil only and depopulate. 1641 G. FitzGerald in Lismore Papers Ser. ii. (1888) IV. 246 The enemy..robbed..my servants and Depopulated my Lands. 1670 Milton Hist. Eng. vi. Ethelred, He..enter'd into Mercia..depopulating all places in their way. |
2. To deprive wholly or partially of inhabitants; to reduce the population of.
| 1594 Privy Council in Arb. Garner I. 301 Many towns and villages upon the sea coasts are..wonderfully decayed, and some wonderfully depopulated. 1607 Shakes. Cor. iii. i. 264. 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 216 A Village..lately depopulated from her Inhabitants, by command from the Spanish King. 1690 Child Disc. Trade (1694) 50 The late Plague, which did much depopulate this Kingdom. 1777 Watson Philip II (1839) 271 Depopulating the maritime provinces by the expulsion of heretics. 1837 Landor Wks. (1868) II. 339/1 The pestilence which depopulated the cities of Italy and ravaged the whole of Europe. |
b. transf. and fig.
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 361 [Lions] excell..in cruelty..depopulating the flocks and herds of cattel. 1686 F. Spence tr. Varilla's Ho. Medicis 422 Whole forests and valleys were..depopulated of game. 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Ser. & Comic 96 The other Knaves will..Depopulate your Mouths..and take as much for drawing out an Old Tooth, as [etc.]. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Rabbit, Turn 'em [Does] loose, that you may not depopulate your Warrens. 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. I. 282 An enterprize that..had, in a great measure, depopulated Europe of its bravest forces. |
† 3. To reduce or lessen the number of (people, etc.); to thin. Obs.
| 1545 Joye Exp. Dan. xi. (1547) 182 The Iewes were euer ouerrunne and depopulated of both y⊇ hostes. c 1611 Chapman Iliad xi. 173 The soldier-loving Atreus' son..Depopulating troops of men. 1798 R. P. Tour in Wales 24 (MS.) The modern spirit of depopulating trees having here left a gloomy house on a shaven lawn. |
4. intr. To become less populous.
In the first two quots. prob. for was a-depopulating = was being depopulated.
| [1761 Hume Hist. Eng. II. App. iii. 521 The kingdom was depopulating from the increase of enclosures. 1770 Goldsm. Des. Vill. Ded., An inquiry whether the country be depopulating or not.] 1882 Stevenson Stud. Men & Bks. 195 Our Henry Sixth made his Joyous Entry dismally enough into disaffected and depopulating Paris. |
† 5. trans. To destroy, cut off. Obs.
| 1576 Baker Jewell of Health 215 With this licour may you depopulate or cut of any member. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 131 With Depilatories burn up and depopulate the Genital matter thereof. |
Hence deˈpopulated, deˈpopulating, ppl. adjs.
| 1623 Sanderson Serm. (1637) 143 In these hard and depopulating times. 1632 Lithgow Trav. x. 450 In that narrow depopulated street. 1643 Prynne Sov. Power Parl. iii. 84 The Kings Popish depopulating Cavaleers. 1674 R. Godfrey Inj. & Ab. Physic 7 A depopulating Plague. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 419 A depopulated, neglected, mountainous country. 1821 Examiner 1 Apr. 206/2 A depopulating war was scattering its horrors throughout all Europe. 1875 Hamerton Intell. Life xii. iii. 448 The depopulated deserts of Breadalbane. |