The Spanish verb 'poblar' (meaning 'to populate' or 'to settle') comes from the Latin word 'populus', meaning 'people', combined with the Spanish infinitive verb suffix '-ar'. The Latin 'p' in 'populus' became 'b' in Spanish (a common sound change between Latin and Spanish), and the word was adapted to fit Spanish verb patterns with the '-ar' ending.

Several common Spanish words share this Latin root, including: 'pueblo' (town, village), 'población' (population), and 'popular' (popular). All these words maintain the core concept of 'people' from their Latin ancestor, with 'pueblo' referring to where people live, 'población' referring to a group of people, and 'popular' describing what many people like.

English speakers can connect 'poblar' to several familiar English words that also come from Latin 'populus', such as 'people', 'population', 'popular', and 'public'. Notice how English retained the 'p' sound while Spanish changed it to 'b'. The connection between these words is clear when you consider they all relate to concepts about people or communities.