The term "biodiversity" was coined by Walter G. Rosen around 1985-1986 as a contraction of "biological diversity" to describe the variety of life on Earth

. Rosen introduced the term during a symposium and in internal documentation, and it was later popularized by biologist E.O. Wilson through a 1986 symposium and his influential 1988 book titled Biodiversity

. The word itself combines the Greek "bios" (life) and Latin "diversitas" (variety), meaning "variety of life"

. In summary:

• Coined by Walter G. Rosen in 1985-1986
• Popularized by E.O. Wilson in the late 1980s
• Derived from "biological diversity," meaning the variety of life forms