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critic [critic 词源字典]: critic: [16] Critic and crisis both come ultimately from the Greek verb krínein ‘decide’ (a relative of Latin cernere ‘decide’, which produced English certain, crime, decree, discern, discrete, discriminate, excrement, riddle ‘sieve’, secret, and secretary). The Greek derived noun krísis ‘judgment’ was used by the physicians Hippocrates and Galen for the ‘turning point of a disease’.

It passed as a medical term via Latin crisis into English in the 15th century, where it was not used in the more general modern sense until the 17th century. The Greek derived noun krités ‘judge’ produced in turn kritikós ‘able to make judgments’; this came to be used as a noun, ‘one who makes judgments’, which passed via Latin criticus into English.

Another descendant of krités was Greek kritérion ‘standard for making a judgment’, borrowed directly into English in the 17th century as criterion.
=> certain, crime, crisis, criterion, discern, discriminate, excrement, secret[critic etymology, critic origin, 英语词源]
catastrophe (n.): 1530s, "reversal of what is expected" (especially a fatal turning point in a drama), from Latin catastropha, from Greek katastrophe "an overturning; a sudden end," from katastrephein "to overturn, turn down, trample on; to come to an end," from kata "down" (see cata-) + strephein "turn" (see strophe). Extension to "sudden disaster" is first recorded 1748.
crisis (n.): early 15c., from Latinized form of Greek krisis "turning point in a disease" (used as such by Hippocrates and Galen), literally "judgment, result of a trial, selection," from krinein "to separate, decide, judge," from PIE root *krei- "to sieve, discriminate, distinguish" (cognates: Greek krinesthai "to explain;" Old English hriddel "sieve;" Latin cribrum "sieve," crimen "judgment, crime," cernere (past participle cretus) "to sift, separate;" Old Irish criathar, Old Welsh cruitr "sieve;" Middle Irish crich "border, boundary"). Transferred non-medical sense is 1620s in English. A German term for "mid-life crisis" is Torschlusspanik, literally "shut-door-panic," fear of being on the wrong side of a closing gate.
crossroads (n.): 1795, in figurative sense of "a turning point, a moment of decision;" from crossroad. In U.S., used for "a crossroads and little more; small, dull town" by 1845.
turn (v.): late Old English turnian "to rotate, revolve," in part also from Old French torner "to turn away or around; draw aside, cause to turn; change, transform; turn on a lathe" (Modern French tourner), both from Latin tornare "to polish, round off, fashion, turn on a lathe," from tornus "lathe," from Greek tornos "lathe, tool for drawing circles," from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, rub by turning, turn, twist" (see throw (v.)). Transitive sense in English is from c. 1300. Related: Turned; turning.

Use in expression to turn (something) into (something else) probably retains the classical sense of "to shape on a lathe." To turn up "arrive, make an appearance" is recorded from 1755. Turn about "by turns, alternately" is recorded from 1640s. To turn (something) loose "set free" is recorded from 1590s. Turn down (v.) "reject" first recorded 1891, American English. Turn in "go to bed" is attested from 1690s, originally nautical. To turn the stomach "nauseate" is recorded from 1620s. To turn up one's nose as an expression of contempt is attested from 1779.

Turning point is attested by 1640s in a figurative sense "point at which a decisive change takes place;" literal sense "point on which a thing turns; point at which motion in one direction ceases and that in another or contrary direction begins" is from 1660s.
vertex (n.): 1560s, "the point opposite the base in geometry," from Latin vertex "highest point," literally "the turning point," originally "whirling column, whirlpool," from vertere "to turn" (see versus). Meaning "highest point of anything" is first attested 1640s.