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
Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
The Kane Forest Preserve Foundation has announced the return of its Native Plant Sale, aimed at promoting biodiversity, supporting local ecosystems and fostering sustainable gardening practices, foundation officials said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026
That included calculating not only its carbon footprint, but also its water use footprint and biodiversity impacts across operations.
—Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 19 Feb. 2026
If sleeper sharks have been quietly occupying these depths all along, undetected simply because nobody was looking, the biodiversity of the deep Antarctic may be more complex than current records indicate.
—Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 19 Feb. 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 Feb. 2026.
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biodiversity
noun
