Stunted
/ˈstʌn.tɪd/noun
Reduced in size, growth, or development; hindered or checked.
Did you know?The core of *stunt* is tied to an old sense of “deceive” or “delude,” and the adjective *stunted* later came to mean growth that has been forcibly checked or arrested.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)ten-
“to make dull, stiffen, or be stunned”
Old English
OE
stunian
“to daze, stun, or make senseless”
Middle English
ME
stunten
“to daze, stun; later, to stop or check”
Late Middle English
ME
stuntid
“checked in growth; abnormally small or underdeveloped”
Modern English
English
stunted
“abnormally small or underdeveloped; hindered in growth or progress”