Exact historical dictionary sense
Population in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels population as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
[L. populatio: cf. F. population.]
Cross-verified historical senseIn Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "population" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[L. populatio: cf. F. population.]" The selected historical definition says: "The act or process of populating; multiplication of inhabitants."