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
Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
But its widespread use has caused deforestation, biodiversity loss, and massive carbon emissions.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025
And a pleasure hearing from students of Kendar Primary in Lewisham and Co-op Academy Manchester about projects to support nature and biodiversity.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
The planetary boundaries framework indicates that six of the nine critical indicators now operate outside safe parameters — from biodiversity collapse to biogeochemical flows to atmospheric composition.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 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 10 Sep. 2025.
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biodiversity
noun
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