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

The Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products, the trade association representing diaper manufacturers, opposes the bill.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

The study appeared in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health.

From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026

Kurvilla, who studied at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and taught global health policy at Boston University, said that "40 percent or more of biomedical Western medicine, pharmaceuticals, derive from natural products".

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

“We must have new drugs ready to deploy” to overcome the growing resistance, said Fidock, who is also president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

She left behind an autobiography, which Michel Foucault discovered in the archives of the French Department of Public Hygiene.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• sanitation