I. ˈstənt, dial “ or -tu̇nt adjective
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse stuttr short, scant — more at stint
1. chiefly dialect : stubborn , angry
2. chiefly dialect : stunted, undersized , curtailed, blunt
3. chiefly dialect : abrupt
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress of : dwarf , check
covered largely with stunted pine woods — American Guide Series: New Jersey
heifers will be stunted and ruined, as they will calve at 18 months — Farmer's Weekly (South Africa)
physical and mental development became stunted during … childhood — Dorothy Gardner
superabundance of mechanical diversions stunted men's souls — Bruce Marshall
intransitive verb
archaic : to become arrested in growth or development
undernourished plants will stunt
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: stunt (II)
1. : a check in growth
2. : a plant or animal that has been checked in growth ; especially : a dwarfed plant
3. : a disease of plants in which reduction in size is a marked symptom: as
a. : a virus disease of chrysanthemum characterized by smaller plants and leaves, smaller and often much earlier flowers, and bleaching of flower color especially of the red and bronze varieties
b. : a similar virus disease of dahlia
c. : a disease of lettuce caused by a fungus of the genus Pythium
IV. verb
Etymology: probably alteration of stump (III)
Scotland : stamp
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably alteration of stump (IV)
1.
a. : a feat or performance displaying notable strength or skill : trick
a moored float with diving board and tower permits aquatic stunts — American Guide Series: Maine
standing with one foot on the seat, sitting on the handlebars, and similar stunts — W.L.Gresham
one of his stunts … was to fly between two trees where the opening was narrower than his wingspread — American Guide Series: California
b. : a book or work marked chiefly by the display or exercise of skill or ingenuity : tour de force
in a way this book is a stunt , for the portraits are actually medallion heads — New Yorker
the kind of literary stunt one remembers much more respectfully from a youthful reading than from a mature rereading — John Mason Brown
too trickily written … too discontinuous in its drama to be more than a serious stunt — Time
2. : an unusual feat or act performed or undertaken chiefly to gain attention or publicity
in a money-raising stunt for the sports fund, he was fined a penny for every inch of waistline — Keith Ellis
won the trip in a radio program advertising stunt — W.H.Davenport
looked upon filibustering as a political stunt — Lindsay Rogers
VI. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to perform stunts
stunted without nets or any safety devices — Saul Bellow
lugged a unicycle up the trail and stunted on the summit — Andrew Hamilton & Chandler Harris
b. : to do stunts with an airplane
its pilot was stunting and … took a nose dive — Jean Stafford
2. : to do unusual or startling things to attract attention or gain publicity
sentimentalists, political agitators … and stunting newspapers — A.A.Calwell
transitive verb
: to do stunts with (an airplane)
VII. noun
: a shifting or switching of positions by defensive players at the line of scrimmage in football to disrupt the opponent's blocking