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Webster 1913 Edition

Mess

Mess

(mĕs)
,
Noun.
Mass; church service.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Mess

(mĕs)
,
Noun.
[OE.
mes
, OF.
mets
, LL.
missum
, p. p. of
mittere
to put, place (e. g., on the table), L.
mittere
to send. See
Mission
, and cf.
Mass
religious service.]
1.
A quantity of food set on a table at one time; provision of food for a person or party for one meal;
as, a
mess
of pottage
; also, the food given to a beast at one time.
At their savory dinner set
Of herbs and other country
messes
.
Milton.
2.
A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common; especially, persons in the military or naval service who eat at the same table;
as, the wardroom
mess
.
Shak.
3.
A set of four; – from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner.
[Obs.]
Latimer.
4.
The milk given by a cow at one milking.
[U.S.]
5.
[Perh. corrupt. fr. OE.
mesh
for
mash
: cf.
muss
.]
A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding;
as, he made a
mess
of it
.
[Colloq.]

Mess

,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Messed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Messing
.]
To take meals with a mess; to belong to a mess; to eat (with others);
as, I
mess
with the wardroom officers
.
Marryat.

Mess

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To supply with a mess.

Webster 1828 Edition

Mess

MESS

,
Noun.
[L. mensa.]
1.
A dish or a quantity of food prepared or set on a table at one time; as a mess of pottage; a mess of herbs; a mess of broth.
2.
A medley; a mixed mass; a quantity.
3.
As much provender or grain as is given to a beast at once.
4.
A number of persons who eat together; among seamen and soldiers.

MESS

,
Verb.
I.
To eat; to feed.
1.
To associate at the same table; to eat in company, as seamen.

MESS

,
Verb.
T.
To supply with a mess.

Definition 2024

mess

mess

English

Noun

mess ‎(plural messes)

  1. (obsolete) Mass; a church service.
  2. (archaic) 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.
    A mess of pottage.
    • Milton
      At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes.
  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
  4. A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Latimer to this entry?)
  5. (US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
Translations
Derived terms
External links

Verb

mess ‎(third-person singular simple present messes, present participle messing, simple past and past participle messed)

  1. (intransitive) To take meals with a mess.
  2. (intransitive) To belong to a mess.
  3. (intransitive) To eat (with others).
    I mess with the wardroom officers.‎
  4. (transitive) To supply with a mess.

External links

Etymology 2

Perhaps a corruption of Middle English mesh ‎(“for mash”), compare muss, or derived from Etymology 1 "mixed foods, as for animals".

Noun

mess ‎(uncountable)

  1. A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder.
    He made a mess of it.‎
    My bedroom is such a mess, I need to tidy up.‎
  2. (colloquial) A large quantity or number.
    My boss dumped a whole mess of projects on my desk today.‎
    She brought back a mess of fish to fix for supper.‎
  3. (euphemistic) Excrement.
    There was dog mess all along the street.‎
    Parked under a tree, my car was soon covered in birds' mess.‎
Quotations
  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:mess.
Synonyms
  • see also Wikisaurus:disorder
Translations

Verb

mess ‎(third-person singular simple present messes, present participle messing, simple past and past participle messed)

  1. (transitive) To make a mess of.
  2. (transitive) To throw into confusion.
    • Scribner's Magazine
      It wasn't right either to be messing another man's sleep.
  3. (intransitive) To interfere.
    This doesn't concern you. Don't mess.‎
Derived terms

References

  • mess in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish mes.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /meːs/

Noun

mess m ‎(genitive singular mess, plural messyn)

  1. (botany) fruit

Derived terms

  • messghart

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
mess vess unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Vilamovian

Noun

mess n

  1. brass

Related terms

  • messera

Etymology

From Middle English mes, partly from Old English mēse, mēose (table; that which is on a table; dish, food; meal, dinner; see mese); and partly from Old French mes, Late Latin missum, from mittere ‎(“to put, place”) (e.g. on the table), Latin mittere ‎(“to send”). See mission, and compare Mass ‎(“religious service”). More at mese; see also mease.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɛs/
  • Rhymes: -ɛs

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