Main Entry: pop·u·la·tion

Pronunciation: \ˌpä-pyə-ˈlā-shən\

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 \-shnəl, -shə-n^əl\ adjective