What does hygiene mean?
Hygiene refers to the practices, habits, and conditions that help maintain health and prevent disease. In its most familiar sense, it concerns personal cleanliness, including handwashing, bathing, oral care, and the hygienic handling of food. The word can also describe broader sanitary conditions in workplaces, hospitals, homes, and food production. Speaking of “good hygiene” implies more than simply appearing clean: it often involves regular practices that interrupt the transmission of harmful microorganisms. “Bad hygiene” and “poor hygiene” are common ways to identify unsanitary or health-endangering conditions, although the phrase can sound informal and occasionally carries a mildly critical social connotation. In medicine, “hygiene” may distinguish environmental measures from more direct forms of clinical treatment. The term is valuable because it links everyday acts of cleanliness with the systematic prevention of infection and illness.
nounThe practices and conditions that promote health and prevent disease, especially through cleanliness and proper sanitation. It may also refer to the principles and practices of maintaining personal or environmental cleanliness.
- The principles and practices of maintaining cleanliness and preventing the spread of disease.
- The cleanliness or sanitary conditions of a person, place, food, or working environment.
"Good hand hygiene is essential in hospitals, where preventing the spread of infection protects patients and staff."
"Regular handwashing is one of the simplest and most effective forms of personal hygiene."
"The restaurant received a citation for poor food hygiene and unsanitary food-storage practices."
Rare and usually used for distinct systems or traditions of health practice, rather than for ordinary instances of cleanliness.
"The study compares the medical hygienes of ancient Greece and Rome."
Hygiene takes its name from Hygieia, the ancient Greek personification of health.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hygiene come from?
The word comes through Latin from Ancient Greek hygieina, meaning “health,” a form related to hygeios, meaning “healthy.” Its sense developed from the general idea of health to the modern emphasis on cleanliness and disease prevention. The ancient Greek goddess Hygieia, personifying health, is an especially well-known namesake of the word.
Related word forms
How hygiene is actually used
Usually used as an uncountable mass noun, as in “good hygiene” or “a lack of hygiene.” The plural “hygienes” is uncommon and generally refers to distinct systems or traditions of health practice rather than to multiple ordinary instances of cleanliness.