biodiversity
noun
Did you know?
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
Mary Johnstone-Louis, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
In Ukraine, home to more than a third of Europe’s biodiversity, constant shelling and drone attacks have already prompted whole populations of wolves, deer and other large mammals to seek asylum far from the nightly explosions and aerial whistles.
—The Los Angeles Times, Mercury News, 18 June 2026
Cruise its glassy waters and admire historic structures as well as an amazing spectrum of biodiversity, including bluebreast, gilt, and spotted and Tippecanoe darters.
—Kelsey Yandura, Midwest Living, 17 June 2026
Kenya is hosting the annual oceans conference, which focuses on addressing critical ocean issues, including climate change, biodiversity and pollution.
—ABC News, 17 June 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 24 Jun. 2026.
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biodiversity
noun
