hygiene

noun hy·giene \ ˈhī-ˌjēn also hī-ˈjēn \

Definition of hygiene

1 :a science of the establishment and maintenance of health

2 :conditions or practices (as of cleanliness) conducive to health

has poor personal hygiene

Brushing your teeth regularly is an important part of good oral hygiene.

—

hygienist

play \hī-ˈjē-nist, ˈhī-ˌjē-, hī-ˈje-\ noun

See hygiene defined for English-language learners

See hygiene defined for kids

Examples of hygiene in a Sentence

Poor sanitation and hygiene caused many of the soldiers to get sick.
He has very poor personal hygiene.
Brushing your teeth regularly is an important part of good dental hygiene.

Recent Examples of hygiene from the Web

A hygiene kit is $13, a bedding kit is $50 and a cleanup kits costs $65.

— Naperville Sun, "How you can help Harvey victims," 30 Aug. 2017
Items being collected include paper products, cleaning products, garbage bags, hygiene products, non-perishable foods, pet foods, baby food, underclothes, shoes, first aid items, batteries and flashlights.

— leada gore, AL.com, "Hurricane Harvey: Alabama relief efforts underway; how and where to donate," 29 Aug. 2017
Donations of school supplies for Together We Cope and personal hygiene kits for Love INC. will be collected.

— Daily Southtown, "Church news," 28 Aug. 2017
WaterAid, an international charity, warned that the floods in Nepal, which have affected nearly 11.5 million, risked turning into a public health crisis unless urgent steps were taken to provide those affected with water, sanitation and hygiene.

— Washington Post, "Flooding maroons people in Indian states, eases in Nepal," 17 Aug. 2017
A few shelves also have small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and feminine-hygiene products.

— priscella vega, Glendale News-Press, "To stay nourished, Glendale College students turn to Food for Thought Pantry," 13 July 2017
In six regions across Ethiopia, students in 50 schools have started attending after-school clubs focused on menstrual hygiene management, as well as communication skills and leadership.

— abigail jones, MSNBC Newsweek, "The Period Movement: Meet the Men Fighting to Stop Menstruation-Shaming in the Developing World," 12 July 2017
But musicians and policy experts say that the regulations on zoning, hygiene and fire safety are at least as big of a headache for live houses, and perhaps even more of a long-term threat to the indie music scene.

— mike ives, New York Times, "Crackdown Chills Hong Kong’s Indie Music Scene," 9 July 2017
Among the AP’s findings: — Overcrowding and poor hygiene contributed to deadly infection, including one 21-month superbug outbreak in the cancer ward that killed eight children.

— maria cheng, The Seattle Times, "Vatican admits past problems at hospital after AP probe," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hygiene.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of hygiene

French hygiène & New Latin hygieina, from Greek, neuter plural of hygieinos healthful, from hygiēs healthy; akin to Sanskrit su well and to Latin vivus living — more at quick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1671

See Words from the same year