ghost population

noun

A population that is inferred to have existed based on data that has been reconstructed rather than on direct sampling.

“The Ancient North-Eurasians are a ghost population whose existence can be inferred from analysis of European and Native American genes.”

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Meanings

nounghost population (plural ghost populations)

plural ghost populations

  1. A population that is inferred to have existed based on data that has been reconstructed rather than on direct sampling.

    The Ancient North-Eurasians are a ghost population whose existence can be inferred from analysis of European and Native American genes.

Origin

From ghost + population.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ghost population. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ghost%20population

MLA

“ghost population.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ghost%20population. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ghost population,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ghost%20population.

Source: ghost population on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.