Meanings
nounhealth literacy (uncountable)
- uncountableAgility in obtaining, evaluating, and applying health information.
Origin
Introduced in a 1975 paper by Scott K. Simonds, Professor of Health Education at the University of Michigan.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 健康素養 /健康素养, 健康識讀能力 /健康识读能力
- 健康素養 /健康素养agility to find, assess and apply health information
- 健康識讀能力 /健康识读能力agility to find, assess and apply health information
Finnish terveysosaaminen
- terveysosaaminenagility to find, assess and apply health information
German Gesundheitskompetenz
- Gesundheitskompetenzagility to find, assess and apply health information
Swedish hälsolitteracitet
- hälsolitteracitetagility to find, assess and apply health information
Cite this entry
APA
health literacy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/health%20literacy
MLA
“health literacy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/health%20literacy. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “health literacy,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/health%20literacy.
Source: health literacy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.