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
CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
While energy and transportation dominate the conversation, factory farming remains a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water pollution and biodiversity loss.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Loyola Marymount University professor Demian Willette uses it to better understand how micro-forests take up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contribute to local biodiversity and help restore degraded land.
—Emily Kwong, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
As the planet’s biodiversity continues to face enormous amounts of pressure, international nature conservation charity Fauna & Flora is launching its 2026 Species to Watch list.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for biodiversity
Cite this Entry
“Biodiversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biodiversity. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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biodiversity
noun
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