hygiene

American  

[hahy-jeen] / ˈhaɪ dʒin /

noun

1. Also the science that deals with the preservation of health.

2. a condition or practice conducive to the preservation of health, as cleanliness.

   Poor personal hygiene can lead to health issues such as skin infections.

   Mental hygiene in children should be constantly monitored by parents and teachers.

3. a beneficial or recommended practice or set of practices (used in combination).

   Using the same password on all of your important accounts is simply not good password hygiene.

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hygiene British  

/ ˈhaɪdʒiːn /

noun

1. Also called: hygienics.  the science concerned with the maintenance of health

2. clean or healthy practices or thinking

   personal hygiene

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Usage

What does hygiene mean? Hygiene is a collection of practices to promote and preserve health, or a condition involving the use of such practices. In its most popular sense, hygiene refers to habitual actions that help you stay physically healthy, such as washing your hands and brushing your teeth. This sense of the word is especially used in phrases like personal hygiene and good hygiene. Personal hygiene is closely associated with cleanliness. Hygiene can also be applied to one’s mental well-being—mental hygiene is the practice of trying to maintain mental health through proactive behavior and treatment. The word hygiene is also used to refer to the science that deals with preserving health—both of individuals and the general public. Another word for this is hygienics. The adjective hygienic can mean related to or involving hygiene, promoting good health, or sanitary. Example: Washing your hands is the easiest way to improve your personal hygiene.

Etymology

Origin of hygiene

First recorded in 1590–1600; from French hygiène, from New Latin hygieina, from Greek hygieinḕ (téchnē) “healthful (art),” feminine of hygieinós “healthful,” equivalent to hygiḗ(s) “healthy” + -inos -ine ¹

Explanation

Hygiene is any practice or activity that you do to keep things healthy and clean. Washing hands, coughing into your elbow, and regular house cleaning are all part of good hygiene. Hygieia was the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation, so it's not hard to see where the word hygiene comes from. Good oral hygiene includes brushing and flossing your teeth, and working in a clean kitchen helps promote food hygiene. You have a better chance of staying healthy during flu season -and any other time- if you practice good personal hygiene, such as washing your hands frequently.

Example Sentences

On a sunny February day, a group of a half dozen neighbors lined up for Red Cross parcels of essentials such as food and hygiene products.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

The researchers say fasting-mimicking diets could eventually be studied as an additional tool to support standard gum disease treatments, including professional dental cleaning and oral hygiene guidance.

From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026

It was meant to address concerns about hygiene and safety, but the law also played into social norms in a conservative country where body art is still deeply frowned upon.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

Millions of people have fled the fighting and are living cheek-by-jowl in displacement camps, under tarps and tents and with poor hygiene conditions.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

That first week while my classmates dozed off, I obsessively worried about the hygiene of the linoleum floor.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Related Words

• sanitation