"stay put" or "sit put"

[Rick Castello]

     I'm curious about the origins of the phrase "Stay put"
     or "Sit put"- the idea of a verb discussing the act of
     placement morphing into a term for staying in one place.

     Has this always been a valid alternate meaning, or is this
     another matter of public perversion, as with current usage
     of nauseous/nauseated?

     -Rick