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Where does the word "chronic" come from? It comes from Greek khronikos, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).
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Where does the word "chronic" come from? It comes from Greek khronikos, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).
Chronic’s story begins in Greek: khronikos meant “relating to time.” Relating to time, from khronos (time). It reached English by 1600s as chronic. Narrowed to describe conditions lasting a long time. Today, chronic means persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient khronikos "relating to time", relating to time, from khronos (time).
- Stage 2 · English · 1600s chronic "persisting over a long time", narrowed to describe conditions lasting a long time.