irruption

[ih-ruhp-shuhn]

noun

1. a breaking or bursting in; a violent incursion or invasion.

2. Ecology.,  a sudden increase in an animal population.

Word History and Origins

Origin of irruption¹

1570–80; < Latin irruptiōn- (stem of irruptiō ), equivalent to irrupt ( us ), past participle of irrumpere to burst into ( ir- ¹, rupture ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Orwell narrowed it down to the Edwardian era — 1901 to 1919 — long before the irruptions of two world wars and the Great Depression.

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"The principal challenge in the past was eradication by anti-predator campaigns. Today the main challenge is habitat loss, irruption of natural corridors by roads and barriers, and conflict with humans," Marin told Salon.

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Waxwings are annual visitors from Scandinavia but they sometimes come in more significant numbers - known as an irruption - in search of food.

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Then, however, the slow irruption of history into Hans and Katharina’s lives gives Erpenbeck the chance to introduce the larger ideas she’s writing for: dissolution, union, the limits of human connection.

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The most vivid accounts of squirrel irruptions date to a time when old growth forests had yet to be logged, when bison roamed the West and flocks of passenger pigeons darkened the skies.

Read more on Washington Post