Crisis

early 15c., from Latinized form of Gk. krisis "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen), lit. "judgment, result of a trial, selection," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge," from PIE base *krei- "to sieve, discriminate, distinguish" (cf. Gk.krinesthai "to explain;" O.E. hriddel "sieve;" L. cribrum "sieve,"crimen "judgment, crime," cernere (pp. cretus) "to sift, separate;" O.Ir. criathar, O.Welsh cruitr "sieve;" M.Ir. crich "border, boundary"). Transferred non-medical sense is 1620s in English. A German term for "mid-life crisis" is Torschlusspanik, lit. "shut-door-panic," fear of being on the wrong side of a closing gate.

endocrine (adj.)

"secretly, internally," 1914, from endo- + krinein "to separate, distinguish" (see crisis).

criterion

1660s, from Latinized form of Gk. kriterion "means for judging, standard," from krites "judge," from PIE base *krei- (see crisis). Used in English as a Greek word from 1610s.