'stunt' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'stunten', where the root suggested shortening or checking (to make short or to stop).

'stunten' appeared in Middle English with senses related to stopping or checking; over time the word developed several related senses, including 'to check growth' (early modern English) and later the sense of a conspicuous 'trick' or 'display' in the 19th–20th century.

Initially, it meant 'to cause to be short or checked (stop or check growth)'; over time it broadened to include 'a showy action or trick performed to attract attention' while retaining the biological sense of 'inhibiting growth'.