mess

Meaning

1. a thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation
2. a large quantity or number
3. excrement.
4. a person in a state of (especially emotional) turmoil or disarray; an emotional wreck
5. To make untidy or dirty.
6. To make soiled by defecating.
7. To make soiled by ejaculating.
8. To throw into disorder or to ruin.
9. To interfere.
10. Mass; a church service.
11. 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.
12. A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common, especially military personnel who eat at the same table.
13. A building or room in which mess is eaten.
14. a type of restaurant characterized by homely-style cooking and food.
15. A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
16. The milk given by a cow at one milking.
17. A group of iguanas.
18. A dessert of fruit and cream, similar to a fool.
19. To take meals with a mess.
20. To belong to a mess.
21. To eat (with others).
22. To supply with a mess.
23. A surname from German.

Etymology / 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”).

Related words

Descendant words

• mes(Indonesian) (der)
• messe(Norwegian Bokmål) (der)
• messe(Norwegian Nynorsk) (der)
• meter(Spanish) (cog)
• మేజా(Telugu) (bor)

Sources

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