Hysteresis in electronic circuits refers to the phenomenon where the output state of a system depends not only on the present input but also on the history of past inputs. In other words, the system's response to a particular input may differ depending on whether the input is increasing or decreasing. This effect is commonly seen in devices like Schmitt triggers and flip-flops, where a small change in input can cause a large change in output due to the hysteresis loop created by the system.
