popule

Popule is the vocative singular form of the Latin noun populus, meaning “O people.” In classical Latin, populus denotes the people as a political body or the common populace. The vocative popule would be used when addressing the people directly, typically in rhetoric or poetry. It is a relatively rare form in everyday prose but is attested in ancient texts.

Populus belongs to the second declension. Its standard forms are: nominative populus, genitive populi, dative popolo, accusative populum, ablative populo; plural nominative populī, genitive populōrum, dative populīs, accusative populōs, ablative populīs. The singular vocative is popule, and the plural vocative is populi, identical to the nominative plural in most contexts. This makes the vocative singular a distinctive and illustrating form in Latin grammar.

The root popul- gives rise to several English derivatives, including population, popular, and populous. The Latin term should not be confused with Populus, the botanical genus name for poplars, cottonwoods, and related trees; in taxonomy, Populus is capitalized and treated as a proper genus, distinct from the linguistic use of populus.

In linguistic references, popule is cited as an example of Latin vocatives and as part of discussions of how Latin addresses an audience. It illustrates how case forms shift when a speaker directly engages a group.