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
Jared Ranahan, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Their return was facilitated by the rise of environmentalism in the 1970s, and progressive laws aimed at restoring biodiversity.
—Jonathan C. Slaght, The Atlantic, 11 June 2025
But like many other island nations, the country is feeling the impacts of the climate crisis, which is eroding its shores, destroying its biodiversity, fueling extreme weather and threatening to displace entire communities.
—Helen Regan, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
Flowers to Create a Hummingbird Buffet Here are a handful of native hummingbird attractors that will boost biodiversity in your yard.
—Erica Browne Grivas, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 June 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 19 Jun. 2025.
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biodiversity
noun
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