Populous
/ˈpɒp.jə.ləs/noun
Having a large population or being densely inhabited.
Did you know?Populous ultimately comes from Latin populus, “the people,” the same root that helped produce words like “public,” “popular,” and “people.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
populus
“The people; a population or nation”
Classical Latin
Latin
populosus
“Full of people; heavily inhabited”
Medieval Latin
Latin
populosus
“Densely populated”
15th Century
English
populous
“Thickly inhabited or containing many people”
Modern English
English
populous
“Having a large population”