stint

Etymology 1

From Middle English stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to make short”), probably influenced in some senses by cognate Old Norse *stynta, stytta (“to make short, shorten”).

verb

1. (archaic, intransitive) To stop (an action); cease, desist.
   1460-1500, The Towneley Playsː We maun have pain that never shall stint.
2. (obsolete, intransitive) To stop speaking or talking (of a subject).
3. (intransitive) To be sparing or mean.
   The next party you throw, don't stint on the beer.
4. (transitive) To restrain within certain limits; to bound; to restrict to a scant allowance.
   I shall not in the least go about to extenuate the Latitude of it: or to stint it only to the Produćtion of Weeds, of Thorns, Thisiles, and other the less useful Kinds of Plants 1695, John Woodward, An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth and Terrestrial Bodies
   She stints them in their meals. 1729, William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
5. To assign a certain task to (a person), upon the performance of which he/she is excused from further labour for that day or period; to stent.
6. (of mares) To impregnate successfully; to get with foal.
   The majority of maiden mares will become stinted while at work. 1861, John Henry Walsh, The Horse, in the Stable and the Field

noun

1. A period of time spent doing or being something; a spell.
   He had a stint in jail.
   That left Maldonado with a 6.2-second lead. Alonso closed in throughout their third stints, getting the gap down to 4.2secs before Maldonado stopped for the final time on lap 41. May 13, 2012, Andrew Benson, “Williams's Pastor Maldonado takes landmark Spanish Grand Prix win”, in BBC Sport
   Lilian Greenwood has ranked boosting diversity and inclusivity among her crowning achievements from her two-year stint chairing the House of Commons Transport Select Committee. May 20 2020, “Network News: A legacy of greater diversity in transport”, in Rail, page 13
2. Limit; bound; restraint; extent.
3. Quantity or task assigned; proportion allotted.

Etymology 2

Origin unknown.

noun

1. Any of several very small wading birds in the genus Calidris. Types of sandpiper, such as the dunlin or the sanderling.

Etymology 3

noun

1. Misspelling of stent (medical device).