To remove or drive away the people from a place, leaving it empty or unpopulated.
From Middle English, combining the prefix dis- (meaning to remove or reverse) with people. The construction mirrors Latin dis- + populus, evolving to mean the depopulation of a region or settlement.
This word was actively used in the 16th-17th centuries to describe the depopulation of villages during land enclosures in England, when wealthy landowners cleared peasants from their fields to raise sheep—a dark chapter in economic history that shaped modern agriculture.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.