I.to lay waste, ravage, devastate, desolate; to spoil, plunder, pillage (class.; syn.: vasto, vexo, diripio).
I. Lit.
(α).
Form populor: Romanus exercitus insulam integram urit, populatur, vastat, Naev. ap. Non. 90, 29: “noctu populabatur agros,” Cic. Off. 1, 10, 33: “Remorum agros,” Caes. B. G. 5, 56: “arva ferro populatur et igni,” Luc. 2, 445; so, “omnia igni ferroque populatus,” Flor. 2, 17, 16: “consules Aequos populantur,” Liv. 3, 23 fin. —
(β).
Form populo (in Cicero only in part. perf. pass.): patriam populavit meam, Pac. ap. Non. 39, 32: agrum populare coeperunt, Quadrig. ib. 471, 20: “litora vestra Vi populat,” Verg. A. 12, 263: “Penates,” id. ib. 1, 527. —In pass.: “urbem Romanam deūm irā morbo populari,” Liv. 3, 6; 3, 3 fin.: “populata vexataque provincia,” Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 52, § 122; cf.: “Siculi nunc populati atque vexati,” id. Div. in Caecil. 1, 2: “arva Marte populata nostro,” Hor. C. 3, 5, 23: “populatis messibus,” Plin. 8, 55, 81.—
II. Transf., in gen., to destroy, ruin, spoil (mostly poet. and in the active form), Plaut. ap. Diom. p. 395 P.: “populatque ingentem farris acervum Curculio,” Verg. G. 1, 185: “capillos,” Ov. M. 2, 319: “feris populandas tradere gentes,” id. ib. 1, 249: “populata tempora raptis Auribus,” mutilated, deprived of, Verg. A. 6, 496: “populatum exspuit hamum,” robbed of the bait, Ov. Hal. 36.—In a deponent form: “quisque suum populatus iter,” Verg. A. 12, 525: “iter,” Sil. 3, 445: “formam populabitur aetas,” Ov. Med. Fac. 45: “(ventus in Aetnā) Putria multivagis populatur flatibus antra,” lays waste, Claud. Rapt. Pros. 1, 176.