Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “chronic” come from?

Chronic comes from Old French cronike, from Latin chronicus, from Ancient Greek χρονικός, derived from χρόνος meaning time, with the suffix -κός, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -kos.

chronic (English): Of a problem, that continues over an extended...

Definitions

  1. Of a problem, that continues over an extended...

Ancestry of “chronic”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishchronicalObsolete form of chronic; Misspelling of...
2Old FrenchcronikeAlternative form of cronicle
3LatinchronicusOf or pertaining to time; chronic
4Ancient Greekχρονικόςof or concerning time, temporal; chronological
5Ancient Greek-ικόςof or pertaining to, in the manner of; -ic
6Ancient Greek-κόςforms adjectives with the sense of 'of or...
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “chronic”

  • chronically
  • diachronic
  • chronicity
  • diachronically
  • subchronic
  • monochronic
  • heterochronic
  • nonchronic
  • allochronic
  • diachronicity
  • achronic
  • subchronically
  • chronicization
  • heterochronicity
  • nonchronically
  • nondiachronic
  • semichronic
  • mesochronic
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →