The modern sense of the English word is from influence of the Old Norse word. The Middle English adjective is attested from mid-15c. in the sense "of short duration." Related: Stunted; stunting.
The Old English verb is cognate with Old Norse stytta (assimilated from earlier *stynta) "to shorten, make short, tuck up;" and the modern sense of the English word might be from Old Norse or from an unrecorded Old English sense. Related to stunt (v.) and stutter (v.). Sense of "be careful in expenditure" is from 1848. Related: Stinted; stinting. The noun is attested from c. 1300.
1791, "state or condition of being public or open to the observation and inquiry of a community," from French publicité (1690s), from Medieval Latin publicitatem (nominative publicitas), from Latin publicus (see public (adj.)). Sense of "a making (something) known, an exposure to the public" is from 1826, shading by c. 1900 into "advertising, the business of promotion." Publicity stunt is recorded by 1908.
late 14c., "an amount twice as great, a twofold quantity or size," from double (adj.). From mid-15c. as "a duplicate copy, something precisely like another."
Sense of "a backward turn to escape pursuers" is from 1590s. Stage sense of "performer or singer fitted to supply the place of a principal in an emergency" is by 1800, originally in opera. The Hollywood stunt double is by 1945. Meaning "an alcoholic drink with twice as much liquor as usual" is by 1922 (double drink is from 1901). Tennis sense of "game played by two on each side" is by 1884. Baseball sense of "a hit in which the batter safely reaches second base" is by 1938. In betting, double or nothing is by 1899 (double or quit is from 1570s).
The "hand motion" meaning is recorded from 1680s; meaning "undulating line" is recorded from 1660s. Of people in masses, first recorded 1852; in physics, from 1832. Sense in heat wave is from 1843. The crowd stunt in stadiums is attested under this name from 1984, the thing itself said to have been done first Oct. 15, 1981, at the Yankees-A's AL championship series game in the Oakland Coliseum; soon picked up and popularized at University of Washington. To make waves "cause trouble" is attested from 1962.
