stunt

Pronunciation: /stʌnt/ (American English)

Origin: From Middle English "stunten," meaning "to stop growing," derived from Old English "styntan," meaning "to blunt, dull."

Part of Speech: noun, verb

Meanings:

1. (noun) An unusual or difficult feat requiring great skill or daring.
2. (noun) Something done to attract attention or publicity.
3. (verb) To stop or slow the growth or development of something.

Example Sentences:

1. The action movie was filled with dangerous stunts performed by professional stunt doubles.
2. As a publicity stunt, the company released thousands of balloons into the sky.
3. Malnutrition can stunt a child's growth and development.

Related Words:

• Verb forms: stunt, stunts, stunted, stunting
• Noun forms: stunt, stunts
• Adjective: stunted
• Synonyms:
  • (noun) feat, trick, exploit
  • (verb) hinder, impede, restrict

Memorization Tricks:

• Think of "stunt" as a shortened form of "student," as in "stunt student." A stunt performer is like a student of daring feats.
• Associate the word with the phrase "It's too stunted to grow," to remember its meaning of hindering growth or development.