Hygienics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The study or practice of maintaining health through cleanliness and sanitary measures
2. A branch of knowledge focused on the principles of health, cleanliness, and prevention of disease
3. The discipline concerned with practices that promote health and prevent illness through proper hygiene and sanitation

Etymology: Hygienics is a plain English formation: the noun "hygiene," borrowed from French "hygiène," with the suffix "-ics" added to name a branch of study. That suffix is the same one found in "physics," "mathematics" and "economics," where it marks an organised body of knowledge rather than a quality or practice. The base word goes back to Greek "hygieinos," meaning healthful, from "hygies," healthy. The Greek goddess Hygieia, daughter of Asclepius, personified health, so the word carries the idea of a sound, well-kept body and mind. The "-ics" ending is worth a closer look. It is Greek in origin, in plural form, but in English it became a productive way to name a field of science. "Hygienics" therefore reads as "the science of health," just as "physics" names the science of nature. The term is used less often today than "hygiene" alone, which has largely taken over its meaning.

Synonyms: sanitation, cleanliness, health, sterility, hygiene

Antonyms: dirtiness, uncleanliness, contamination, pollution, infection