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
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 June 2024
The agency notes that animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss and water pollution.
—Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 5 June 2024
In new research just published, biodiversity loss, climate change, and chemical pollution were found to all contribute to disease emergence.
—Alexandra Phelan, STAT, 27 May 2024
Allowing these weeds to grow can increase their numbers in the landscape and potentially reduce native biodiversity by creating near-monocultures.
—Christina Grozinger, Discover Magazine, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for biodiversity 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biodiversity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Biodiversity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biodiversity. Accessed 9 Jun. 2024.
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biodiversity
noun
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