Biodiversity signifies the variety of different species of plants and animals within an environment. The term is a combination of the Greek 'bios' (life) and the Latin 'divertere' (to turn aside).
Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in an environment, combining the Greek 'bios' (mode of life) and the Latin 'divertere' (to turn aside).
| Word | biodiversity |
|---|---|
| Date | April 22, 2008 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | bye-oh-duh-VER-suh-tee |
| Etymology | "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 | Today's tropical rainforests represent a treasure trove of biodiversity unmatched in any other environment. |
| Definition | : biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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