Definition of population
1a
: 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
3a
: 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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for population
The first known use of population was in 1612
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