hygiene
/ˈhaɪ.dʒiːn/ IELTSAcademic
noun
Clean habits and conditions that help keep people healthy and stop disease. It can also mean the rules or practices used to stay clean.
- Good hygiene helps prevent illness.
- Hand hygiene matters in hospitals.
- Personal hygiene is important every day.
Adinary Nuance
Hygiene is broader than cleanliness. Cleanliness means being free from dirt, while hygiene means the habits and practices that protect health. It is also more formal than everyday words like "washing up" or "keeping clean". In medical and academic writing, hygiene is the natural choice.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- vệ sinh
- Spanish
- higiene
- Chinese
- 卫生
- Japanese
- 衛生
- Korean
- 위생
Etymology
Hygiene comes from French hygiène, from Greek Hygieia, the goddess of health. English started using it in the 1800s.
Common phrases
personal hygieneoral hygienehand hygienefood hygiene
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is hygiene the same as cleanliness?
- Not exactly. Cleanliness is about being clean, while hygiene is about health-related clean habits.
- Is hygiene a formal word?
- Yes, it is fairly formal and common in medical, school, and workplace writing.
- Can I say good hygiene?
- Yes. "Good hygiene" is a very common phrase in English.