krisis

Krisis is a noun derived from the Greek κρίσις (krísis), meaning a decision, judgment, or turning point. In various languages and scholarly discussions, the form krisis is used to refer to a critical moment within a process, a decisive point in an argument, or a turning point in events. In English, the common term is crisis; krisis is sometimes used to emphasize etymology or in transliterated or historical contexts.

Etymology and sense: The word comes from Greek krínein, meaning to judge or decide, and is related to critic, criterion, and other words built from the same root. The sense of a decisive moment—when a situation can resolve in one of two directions—appears in classical texts and was transmitted into Latin and later languages, shaping both general and specialized uses of the term.

Medical usage: In historical medical writings, a krisis or crisis described the turning point of an illness, the moment when symptoms either improved or worsened. This sense is largely historical in modern English medical language, where more precise terminology is typically used, but the broader idea of a turning point persists in discussions of disease trajectories and common expressions such as “crisis point.”

Modern usage: In psychology, sociology, and crisis management, crisis denotes a disruption that exceeds ordinary coping resources. Personal crises, financial crises, and political crises are common terms, and the concept is central to interventions and strategic responses in social sciences and public policy.

Transliteration and usage: The form krisis appears in scholarly texts and in languages that preserve the Greek root, while the standard English form remains crisis. The two are closely related etymologically, reflecting the same underlying idea of a decisive moment.