Other forms: stunts, stunted, stunting
A stunt is a dangerous action performed for the camera. A car stunt, stunt double, perform a stunt.
Stunt performers rehearse for weeks and the danger is engineered down as far as it will go, which is exactly why it looks effortless. A publicity stunt is an attention-getting act rather than a dangerous one. There is a separate verb stunt meaning to check growth. Note that the origin of the word is unknown.
1nounstuntA dangerous action performed for the camera.
“The actor did all his own stunts, including jumping from a moving train.”
2verbcheckTo check the growth of something.
“Poor diet can stunt a child's growth.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
stunt is a feat, or a checking of growth.
The origin of stunt is unknown. The verb meaning to check growth may be a different word.
unknown. Compare Middle Low German stunt (“a shoulder grip with which you throw someone on their back”), Middle English stunt (“foolish; stupid”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA