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
Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
The previous version of BCI’s P&C covered soil health, biodiversity and natural habitats, water, pesticides and fertilizer use, along with livestock when relevant.
—Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 2 Apr. 2026
Furthermore, the area is at even greater risk of biodiversity loss thanks to potential plans to divert the river upstream to irrigate crops during the dry season.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
Sensory receptors act as evolutionary hotspots that can either preserve recognition among members of the same species, or limit interspecies mating, playing a foundational role in Earth’s biodiversity.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 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 4 Apr. 2026.
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biodiversity
noun
