Where does “biodiversity” come from?
Biodiversity combines English bio- from Ancient Greek βίο- (from βίος, meaning "life") and diversity, with βίος deriving from Proto-Indo-European gʷih₃wós, the root gʷeih₃w-.
biodiversity (English): The diversity of plant and animal life within a...
Definitions
- The diversity of plant and animal life within a...
Ancestry of “biodiversity”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | diversity | The quality of being diverse or different;... |
| 2 | Middle English | diversite | difference, distinctness; deviation, diversion;... |
| 3 | Old French | diversité | — |
| 4 | Latin | diversitas | contradiction; diversity, difference |
| 5 | Latin | dīversus | opposite |
| 6 | Latin | dīvertō | to separate |
| 7 | Latin | dī- | Two, double; di |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | δί- | Twice, double |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | διά | throughout |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | dwís | twice, doubly; in two |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |