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
Amber X. Chen, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025
Dive into the mysterious and vital world of mangroves to explore how mangroves support biodiversity, protect shorelines from erosion, and combat climate change by capturing vast amounts of carbon.
—Joe Rassel, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2025
Preserving open space helps maintain biodiversity, protects watersheds, and curbs the heat island effect, a growing concern as climate change intensifies.
—John Emmanuel, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2025
This included a biodiversity and water risk assessment to assess and prioritize areas of highest impact, and identify key hotspots where risks to biodiversity are most significant.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 10 July 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 28 Jul. 2025.
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biodiversity
noun
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