Word | biodiversity |
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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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