hygiene

H4Y4G2I1E1N1E1
UK/ˈhʌɪˌd͡ʒiːn/US/ˈhaɪˌd͡ʒiːn/US/haɪˈd͡ʒiːn/

noun

The science of health, its promotion and preservation.

“They have poor personal hygiene.”

Similar
hygienics
OriginFrench hygiène ← Ancient Greek ὑγιεινή →
CommonScrabble 14
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Word of the Day · Mar 22, 2026

Meanings

nounhygiene (countable and uncountable, plural hygienes)

plural hygienes

  1. countableuncountableThe science of health, its promotion and preservation.
  2. countableuncountableThose conditions and practices that promote and preserve health.

    Hygiene is an important consideration in places where food is prepared.

  3. countableuncountableCleanliness.

    They have poor personal hygiene.

  4. countableslanguncountablecomputingThe property of having an expansion that is guaranteed not to cause the accidental capture of identifiers.
verbhygiene (third-person singular simple present hygienes, present participle hygiening, simple past and past participle hygiened)

present singular third person hygienes · participle present hygiening · participle past hygiened · past hygiened

    Synonyms & antonyms

    nounthe science concerned with the prevention of illness and maintenance of health

    Similar
    hygienics
    Broader
    medicinemedical specialty
    Also see
    hygienics

    Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

    Origin

    1. Ancient Greekὑγιεινή
    2. Frenchhygiène
    3. Englishhygiene

    From French hygiène, from Ancient Greek ὑγιεινή (τέχνη) (hugieinḗ (tékhnē), literally “art of health”), from ὑγιεινός (hugieinós, “of health, good for the health, wholesome, sound, healthy”), from ὑγιής (hugiḗs, “healthy, sound”).

    More words from French, Ancient Greek

    Full word history & related roots →

    Translations

    Afrikaans higiëne
    • higiëneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Arabic عِلْم الصِّحَّة, عِلْم حِفْظ الصِّحَّة
    • عِلْم الصِّحَّة (ʕilm aṣ-ṣiḥḥa)science of health
    • عِلْم حِفْظ الصِّحَّة (ʕilm ḥifẓ aṣ-ṣiḥḥa)science of health
    • نَظَافَة (naẓāfa)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • حِفْظ الصِّحَّة (ḥifẓ aṣ-ṣiḥḥa)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Bengali স্বাস্থ্যবিধি, স্বাস্থ্যবিজ্ঞান
    • স্বাস্থ্যবিধি (śastthobidhi)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • স্বাস্থ্যবিজ্ঞান (śastthobiggên)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Bulgarian хигие́на
    • хигие́на (higiéna)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Catalan higiene
    • higieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Chinese Mandarin 衛生學 /卫生学, 衛生 /卫生
    • 衛生學 /卫生学 (wèishēngxué)science of health
    • 衛生 /卫生 (wèishēng)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Czech hygiena
    • hygienaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Danish hygiejne
    • hygiejneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Dutch hygiëne
    • hygiëneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Esperanto higieno
    • higienoconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Estonian hügieen
    • hügieenconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Finnish hygienia
    • hygieniaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    French hygiène
    • hygièneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    German Hygiene, Hygiene
    • Hygienescience of health
    • Hygieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Greek υγιεινή
    • υγιεινή (ygieiní)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Hebrew גֵהוּת, הִיגְיֶנָה \ היגיינה
    • גֵהוּת (gehút)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • הִיגְיֶנָה \ היגיינה (higyéna)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Hindi स्वच्छता
    • स्वच्छता (svacchatā)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Hungarian higiénia
    • higiéniaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Icelandic hreinlæti
    • hreinlæticonditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Indonesian kebersihan
    • kebersihanconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Irish sláinteachas
    • sláinteachasconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Italian igiene, igiene
    • igienescience of health
    • igieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • salubritàconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Japanese 衛生学, 衛生
    • 衛生学 (eiseigaku)science of health
    • 衛生 (eisei)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Korean 위생학, 위생
    • 위생학 (wisaenghak)science of health
    • 위생 (wisaeng)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Latvian higiēna
    • higiēnaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Lithuanian higiena
    • higienaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Malay kebersihan, higin
    • kebersihanconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • higinconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Norwegian Bokmål hygiene
    • hygieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Persian بهداشت, حفظ الصحه
    • بهداشت (behdâšt)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • حفظ الصحه (hefz ol-seha)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Polish higiena, higiena
    • higienascience of health
    • higienaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Portuguese higiene
    • higieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Romanian igienă
    • igienăconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Russian гигие́на, гигие́на
    • гигие́на (gigijéna)science of health
    • гигие́на (gigijéna)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Slovak hygiena
    • hygienaconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Spanish higiene
    • higieneconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Swedish hygien
    • hygienconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Tagalog palalusugan
    • palalusuganconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Thai สุขศึกษา, สุขลักษณะ
    • สุขศึกษา (sùk-kà-sʉ̀k-sǎa)science of health
    • สุขลักษณะ (sùk-lák-sà-nà)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    • อนามัย (à-naa-mai)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Turkish hijyen, sağlık bilgisi
    • hijyenscience of health
    • sağlık bilgisiscience of health
    • hıfzıssıhhascience of health
    • hijyenconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Ukrainian гігіє́на
    • гігіє́на (hihijéna)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Urdu حِفْظانِ صِحَت
    • حِفْظانِ صِحَت (hifzān-e sehat)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Vietnamese vệ sinh
    • vệ sinhconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Welsh glanweithdra
    • glanweithdraconditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Yiddish היגיענע
    • היגיענע (higyene)conditions and practices that promote and preserve health
    Cite this entry
    APA

    hygiene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hygiene

    MLA

    “hygiene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hygiene. Accessed November 3, 2026.

    Chicago

    WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hygiene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hygiene.

    Source: hygiene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.