stunted
[stuhn-tid]
- slowed or stopped abnormally in growth or development.
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Origin of stunted
stunt1
[stuhnt]
- to stop, slow down, or hinder the growth or development of; dwarf: A harsh climate stunted the trees. Brutal treatment in childhood stunted his personality.
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- a stop or hindrance in growth or development.
- arrested development.
- a plant or animal hindered from attaining its proper growth.
- Plant Pathology. a disease of plants, characterized by a dwarfing or stunting of the plant.
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Origin of stunt1
1575–85; v. use of dial. stunt dwarfed, stubborn (Middle English; Old English: stupid); cognate with Middle High German stunz, Old Norse stuttr short; akin to stint1
stunt2
[stuhnt]
- a performance displaying a person's skill or dexterity, as in athletics; feat: an acrobatic stunt.
- any remarkable feat performed chiefly to attract attention: The kidnapping was said to be a publicity stunt.
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- to do a stunt or stunts.
- Television Slang. to add specials, miniseries, etc., to a schedule of programs, especially so as to increase ratings.
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- to use in doing stunts: to stunt an airplane.
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Origin of stunt2
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
short, scrub, dwarf, wee, shot, dwarfed, shrimp, bantam, diminutive, little, measly, mite, peanut, small, tiny, undersized, dwarfish, half-pint, peewee, runtishExamples from the Web for stunted
Contemporary Examples
So other than a stunted television career and a big mouth, what does Wilmer Valderrama have going for him?
This view holds the Arab world to be stunted, reflecting a cynicism born from the dismissal of our cultures and capacities.
The elderly are helped into the shade of the few stunted trees nearby.
The more extreme risks range from cardiac problems to stunted growth and a diminished immune system.
Malnutrition is so rampant that more than half the country's children are stunted in growth.
Historical Examples
He was interred under the stunted oak where Master Headley had been tied.
The Armourer's PrenticesCharlotte M. Yonge
The thick, stunted columns, left in the rough, also awaited their sculptors.
The Three Cities Trilogy, CompleteEmile Zola
She felt cheated, stunted, revengeful because of this common fate.
The Gorgeous GirlNalbro Bartley
Jakin was a stunted child of fourteen, and Lew was about the same age.
Soldiers Three, Part II.Rudyard Kipling
Everywhere on Long Island grew the stunted bushes, and everywhere they were valued.
Home Life in Colonial DaysAlice Morse Earle
stunt1
- (tr) to prevent or impede the growth or development of (a plant, animal, etc)
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- the act or an instance of stunting
- a person, animal, or plant that has been stunted
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Word Origin
C17 (as vb: to check the growth of): perhaps from C15 stont of short duration, from Old English stunt simple, foolish; sense probably influenced by Old Norse stuttr short in stature, dwarfed
stunt2
- an acrobatic, dangerous, or spectacular action
- an acrobatic or dangerous piece of action in a film or television programme
- anything spectacular or unusual done to gain publicity
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- (intr) to perform a stunt or stunts
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Word Origin
C19: US student slang, of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for stunted
stunt
v.
"check in growth, dwarf," 1650s, verb use of Middle English adjective stunnt "foolish," from Old English stunt "short-witted, foolish" (cf. stuntspræc "foolish talk"), from Proto-Germanic *stuntaz (cf. Old Norse stuttr "short"), from the root of stump. Related: Stunted; stunting.
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stunt
n.
"feat to attract attention," 1878, American English college sports slang, of uncertain origin. Speculated to be a variant of colloq. stump "dare, challenge" (1871), or of German stunde, literally "hour." The movie stunt man is attested from 1930.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper