Definition of "hygiene" []

• The science that deals with the promotion and preservation of health. Also called hygienics. (noun)
• Conditions and practices that serve to promote or preserve health: hygiene in the workplace; personal hygiene. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The class in hygiene is so big that the professor has n't time to read the papers; he just goes down the list and flunks every thirteenth girl."
• "The argument made by the French officials that this woman was banned from using the public pool due to hygiene is weak."
• "However, the key to good oral hygiene is seeing a dentist twice per year."