depopulate
To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etcTo reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.
» The rural exodus depopulated entire villages in this region of Germany.
Массовый отток сельского населения в этом районе Германии оставил пустыми целые деревни.
Meaning
3 senses(transitive)To reduce the population of a region by disease, war, forced relocation etc.
entvölkern
reduce in population
(transitive)To remove the components from a circuit board.
(intransitive)To become depopulated, to lose its population.
Examples
5 sentencesThe rural exodus depopulated entire villages in this region of Germany.
ruМассовый отток сельского населения в этом районе Германии оставил пустыми целые деревни.
Following the closure of the factory, the surrounding villages began to depopulate.
The exodus has left the region practically depopulated, with those remaining being primarily the elderly or people too sick to leave.
Terrorist organizations like the Islamic State focused on depopulating vast areas in Syria and Iraq.
The United States successfully depopulated Indian lands. In other words, the United States carried out a successful genocide.
Translations
3 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
First attested in 1531; borrowed from Latin dēpopulātus, perfect active participle of dēpoFirst 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.
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Forms
depopulates, depopulating, depopulated, depopulated| Base form | depopulate · to depopulate |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | depopulates |
| Present participle | depopulating |
| Past simple | depopulated |
| Past participle | depopulated |
regular · Lesson
Synonyms
5 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle