Lewis & Short

pŏpŭlor, ātus, 1. v. dep., and pŏpŭlo, āre, v. a. [1. populus; prop. to spread or pour out in a multitude over a region; hence, transf. to the result], to lay waste, ravage, devastate, desolate; to spoil, plunder, pillage (class.; syn.: vasto, vexo, diripio).

  1. I. Lit.
          1. (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.
          2. (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.
  2. 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.