mess

a thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation

Noun obsolete

  1. Mass; a church service.
  2. A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal; also, the food given to an animal at one time.
    • c. 1555, Hugh Latimer, letter to one in prison for the profession of the Gospel a mess of pottage
    • At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes. - a. 1645, John Milton, “L’Allegro”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:
    • [Curry] consists of meat, fish, fruit, or vegetables, cooked with a quantity of bruised spices and turmeric […]; and a little of this gives a flavour to a large mess of rice. - 1903, Henry Yule, Arthur Burnell,...
  3. A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common, especially military personnel who eat at the same table.
    • the wardroom mess
    • But that our Feaſts / In euery Meſſe, haue folly; and the Feeders / Digeſt with a Cuſtome, - c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, &...
  4. A building or room in which mess is eaten.
    • The police mess had formerly been a maternity home for the wives of the Sultans of the state. Faded and tatty, peeling, floorboards eaten and unpolished, its philoprogenitive glory was a memory only. - 1956, Anthony...
  5. a type of restaurant characterized by homely-style cooking and food.
  6. A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
  7. The milk given by a cow at one milking.
  8. A group of iguanas.

    Synonyms: slaughter

  9. A dessert of fruit and cream, similar to a fool.
    • Eton is renowned for its "messes," and "strawberry mess" is Empress of them all, with raspberry mess as a very good second. It does not at all convey the joys of a "mess" to say that it consists of iced fruit and cream,...
    • "I'll stand you both strawberry mess." It was perfectly impossible for David not to feel elated at sitting down to strawberry-mess with two members of the eleven, in the full light of day, and in sight of the school...
    • Eton mess, for example, which is another name for strawberry fool, links the name of a famous public school with disorder or the army slang for a meal, [...] One friend remembered a banana mess of mashed banana with two...

Origin

From Middle English mes, partly from Old English mēse, mēose (“table”), a vernacular loan from Latin/Late Latin mē(n)sa (“table; meal”); and partly from Old French mes, Late Latin missum, from mittō (“to put, place (e.g. on the table)”). See mission, and compare Mass (“religious service”).

Forms

messes

Derived

Eton mess hot mess lose the number of one's mess mess bag mess beef mess cup messdeck mess dress mess hall mess jacket mess kit messless messmate mess of pottage mess room messroom mess set mess tent mess tin mess trap mess uniform Mills Mess

Noun Entry 2

  1. a thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation
    • No, look, I know that the place looks like a bit of a mess but it's actually a very delicate ecosystem. Everything is connected. It's like the rainforest. You change one thing, even the tiniest bit, and the whooole...
    • He made a mess of it.
    • My bedroom is such a mess; I need to tidy up.

    Synonyms: disorder bedlam car crash chaos confusion disarray disorganization dog's breakfast dog's dinner free-for-all fuddle hash hot mess imbroglio mash maze mess misorder mommick muddle mullock muss shambles shemozzle

  2. a large quantity or number
    • Messerschmidts! A whole mess of Messerschmidts! - 1943 November 20, Daffy the Commando, spoken by Daffy Duck:
    • My boss dumped a whole mess of projects on my desk today.
    • She brought back a mess of fish to fix for supper.
  3. excrement.
    • There was dog mess all along the street.
    • Did you hear that? It scared the mess out of me.
  4. a person in a state of (especially emotional) turmoil or disarray; an emotional wreck
    • Between the pain and the depression, I'm a mess.
    • He's been a mess and a half ever since you excommunicated him.
    • I'm a mess in a dress, can't show up on time even if it would save my life. According to you. - 2009, Andrew Frampton, Steve Diamond, “According to You”, in Believe, performed by Orianthi:

Origin

Perhaps a corruption of Middle English mesh (“mash”), compare muss, or derived from Etymology 2 "mixed foods, as for animals". Compare also Old English mes (“dung, excrement”).

Forms

messes

Verb often, transitive

  1. To make untidy or dirty.
    • It seems like all you do is cry, eat, and mess your diapers! - 2000 March 12, Tom Armstrong, Marvin (comic):

    1. To make soiled by defecating.

    2. To make soiled by ejaculating.

  2. To throw into disorder or to ruin.
    • Charles Dickens, quoted in: 1875, John Forster, The Life of Charles Dickens Yet I was not sorry that the creature found the loophole for escape. The officers had taken him illegally without any warrant; and really they...
    • But it wasn't right to be messing another man's sleep with tidal waves that didn't belong to the other man. - 1905, Arthur Colton, The Belted Seas, page 76:
  3. To interfere.
    • This doesn't concern you. Don't mess.

Forms

messes messing messed

Derived

don't mess with success hot mess in a mess mess about mess around messer mess of greens mess over mess-up mess up mess with mess with the bull and you get the horns messy unmess

Verb Entry 4

  1. To take meals with a mess.
  2. To belong to a mess.
  3. To eat (with others).
    • Resolved 18. That no Guide or Interpreter whether at the Factory Depot or Inland be permitted to mess with Commissioned Gentlemen or Clerks in charge of Posts; but while at the Depot they will be allowed per Week 4 days...
    • I mess with the wardroom officers.
  4. To supply with a mess.

Forms

messes messing messed