[cri.sis] n, pl cri.ses [ME, fr. L, fr. Gk krisis, lit., decision, fr. krinein to decide--more at certain] (15c) 1 a: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever b: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function c: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life "a midlife ~"
2: the decisive moment (as in a literary plot) 3 a: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; esp: one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome "a financial ~" b: a situation that has reached a critical phase "the environmental ~" syn see juncture