Webster's English Dictionary

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crisis

Cross references:
  1. juncture              
 
cri.sis \'kri-s*s\ \'kri--.se-z\ n or cri.ses [L, fr. Gk risis, lit., 
   decision, fr. krinein to decide - more at] pl  CERTAIN 1a: the turning 
   point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever  1b: a paroxysmal 
   attack of pain, distress, or disordered function  1c: an emotionally 
   significant event or radical change of status in a perso n's life 2: the 
   decisive moment (as in a literary plot)  3: an unstable or crucial time or 
   state of affairs; specif : the pe riod of strain following the culmination 
   of a period of business prosperity when forced liquidation occurs