sanitary meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

sanitary

adj

AU, UK /ˈsænɪt(ə)ɹi/ · CA, US /ˈsænɪˌtɛɹi/

Etymology 19th century, borrowed from French sanitaire, formed from Latin sanitas (“health”). Analysable as sanity + -ary.

Of or relating to health.

Clean and free from pathogens; hygienic.

Derived terms: 27 terms
aerosanitary, hydrosanitary, insanitary, phytosanitary, presanitary, rural sanitary district, sanitarian, sanitarily, sanitariness, sanitarist, sanitarium, sanitary cordon, sanitary district, sanitary engineer, sanitary engineering, sanitary landfill, sanitary napkin, sanitary pad, sanitary science, sanitary sewer, sanitary towel, sanitary ware, sanitaryware, sanitation, sociosanitary, unsanitary, zoosanitary
Related terms: sane, sanity, sanitize

noun

Etymology 19th century, borrowed from French sanitaire, formed from Latin sanitas (“health”). Analysable as sanity + -ary.

Sanitary towel.

When I made evening rounds, I saw women with their hair rolled, using the sanitaries for rollers.1996, Tekla Dennison Miller, The Warden Wore Pink, page 117:
Women... bleed all over everything because of no proper sanitary protection for disposal and no tampons are issued, bloody unwrapped sanitaries are in every dorm john, every trash can, and blood on every faucet handle...and everywhere imaginable.2002, Jael Silliman, Anannya Bhattacharjee, Angela Yvonne Davis, Policing the National Body: Sex, Race, and Criminalization, →ISBN, page 21:

1 more example

But sanitaries are the worst. The prison only brings out two packs of sanitaries for everybody, and that's like 240 of sanitaries every month for all the women.2004, LaVerne McQuiller Williams, Women, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System, →ISBN, page 24: