stunting
STUNT-ing
/ˈstʌntɪŋ/
The impaired growth and development that children experience from poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.
In global health, stunting specifically refers to a low height-for-age ratio. It is a sign of chronic, long-term malnutrition.
The story behind the word. Derived from the Middle English 'stunt,' meaning short or dull. It originally described someone who was slow to learn, but by the 1800s, it shifted to describe physical growth that was cut short.
Word relationships
- dwarfing: Dwarfing is more often used for plants or in a non-medical sense to mean making something look small by comparison.
- flourishing: Developing rapidly and successfully.
Commonly confused with
- wasting: Stunting is height-for-age (chronic); wasting is weight-for-height (acute).
Word family
- stunted (adjective): Having been prevented from growing or developing properly.
Collocations
- childhood stunting
- stunting rates
- prevent stunting
- stunting of growth
Example sentences
- "Childhood stunting can have lifelong consequences for health and economic productivity." Public health report.
- "The drought led to the stunting of the corn crops, resulting in a poor harvest." Agricultural impact.
Memory hook
A 'stunt' in a movie is a short, controlled action. 'Stunting' is when growth is controlled and kept short. Stunting = Short (Height).
When not to use
Don't use it to describe a short person who is healthy; it implies a pathological lack of growth.
Fun facts
- Stunting is often irreversible if it occurs before a child reaches the age of two, a period known as the 'first 1,000 days.'
Related words
Explore more words
Growth, chronically, impoverished, stagnation, impairment, chronic
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