n.
Pronunciation: ˌ pä-py ə - ' l ā -sh ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin population-, populatio, from Latin populus
Date: 1612
1 a : the whole number of people or inhabitants in a country or region b : the total of individuals occupying an area or making up a whole c : the total of particles at a particular energy level ― used especially of atoms in a laser
2 : the act or process of populating
3 a : a body of persons or individuals having a quality or characteristic in common b (1) : the organisms inhabiting a particular locality (2) : a group of interbreeding organisms that represents the level of organization at which speciation begins
4 : a group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples are taken for statistical measurement
– pop · u · la · tion · al \ -shn ə l, -sh ə -n ə l \ adjective