biodiversity
noun
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Biodiversity may become the rallying call for the next decade, wrote David Wake in the journal Science in 1989. Indeed, biodiversity is a word you're likely to encounter in writing about ecology and the environment today. But when Wake used it, "biodiversity" was still a relatively new addition to the English language, having first appeared in writing in the mid-1980s. Of course, the roots of biodiversity are much older. It evolved from a commingling of the descendants of the Greek noun bios, which means "mode of life," and the Latin verb divertere, which means "to turn aside" or "to go different ways."
Examples of biodiversity in a Sentence
Curaçao Tourist Board, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
Owner Isabel Goldsmith envisioned the resort as a guardian of this untouched coastline, preserving the area’s biodiversity and beauty for generations to come.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
However, there are some parts of the preserve that threaten the soil’s health and native biodiversity.
—Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025
Expanding pastures and feed crops drive deforestation that displaces countless animals and destroys biodiversity.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for biodiversity
Cite this Entry
“Biodiversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biodiversity. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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biodiversity
noun
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