kroonilised

Kroonilised is an Estonian adjective meaning chronic, used to describe conditions or processes that persist for a long time or recur. It is the plural nominative form of krooniline, so it appears before plural nouns, for example: kroonilised haigused (chronic diseases), kroonilised põletikud (chronic inflammations), kroonilised probleemid (chronic problems). The singular nominative form is krooniline, with standard Estonian adjective conjugation in other cases.

Etymology and sense: krooniline derives from a root relating to time, and it is cognate with similar terms in other European languages that express the idea of duration or persistence, such as English chronic. It is not related to the noun kroon meaning crown, despite the superficial similarity in spelling.

Usage: The term is common in medical, epidemiological, and academic writing in Estonian, and also appears in journalism and policy reports to indicate that a condition or disease state is long-lasting or recurrent. Examples of usage include references to chronic diseases, chronic pain, or chronic social issues, often in discussions of public health, treatment strategies, or long-term care planning.

See also: chronic (English), krooniline (the singular form), Estonian medical terminology.