chronic

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkɹɒn.ɪk/ (UK); /ˈkɹɑ.nɪk/, /ˈkɹɒn.ɪk/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French cronique and directly borrowed from Latin chronicus,^[2][3][4] from Ancient Greek χρονικός (khronikós, “of or concerning time”), from χρόνος (khrónos, “time”),^[2][3][5] of uncertain origin.^[2] The spelling chronic, after Latin, is from 1655.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of diseases, lasting a long time: probably before 1425, in a translation of Chauliac's surgery, as cronic;^[2][3] 1601 in the OED and MWU.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

The literal relating to time was rare and is obsolete (1605).^[6][3] Of people, such as a chronic invalid, it is from 1842.^[6] A vague disapproving sense, continuous or constant, came from the association with disease and later addiction (1860).^[3][6] In informal British English, of very poor quality, the film was chronic, developed in the mid-19th century from the idea of endless tedium.^[8] As slang for cannabis, it was popularized from 1992 by Dr Dre's album The Chronic.^[3][7]

Timeline

• c. 1425 – of diseases, long-lasting.^[2]
• 1655 – the spelling chronic.^[2]
• 1842 – of invalids.^[6]
• 1860 – constant (colloquial).^[6]
• 1992 – cannabis.^[3][7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of an illness, lasting a long time or recurring often.
2. Having a habit or condition for a long time: a chronic liar.
3. Continuing or recurring; persistent: a chronic shortage.
4. (British, informal) Very bad.

Word family

• chronically
• chronicity
• nonchronic
• subchronic
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Related words

• chronicle
• chronology
• chronometer
• anachronism
• synchronize
• crony

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press