mess

B1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /mɛs/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like mass /ɛ/ vs /æ/ Sounds like mace /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Freq #940

Meanings

1

noun
A dirty or untidy state; a place where things are not in order.

The house was a complete mess after the party.
2

noun
A confused or difficult situation.

He got himself into a real mess with his finances.
3

verb
To make something untidy, dirty, or disordered.

I messed up my room while looking for my passport.
4

noun
A person who is very upset or in emotional trouble.

After the breakup she was an emotional mess.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with mess

mess around Phrasal verb B1

to spend time on aimless or unplanned activities

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a dirty or untidy state; a... disorder chaos clutter

2 noun · a confused or difficult... muddle

3 verb · to make something untidy,... mess up

Word family

Forms messedmessesmessing

Derived forms mess-upmessdeckmessermesslessmessmatemessroommessyunmess

Appears in

Phrases (9)

See all

leave a mess
To depart without tidying the disorder one has caused

Verb + noun
make a mess
To produce disorder or a dirty, disordered state

Verb + noun
absolute mess
Complete and unqualified disorder with no redeeming order

Adjective + noun
complete mess
Total, utter disorder or a situation that has gone entirely wrong

Adjective + noun
terrible mess
A very bad state of disorder or an extremely difficult situation

Adjective + noun
total mess
An unqualified state of confusion or disorder

Adjective + noun

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Mess originally meant a portion of food, especially liquid or soft food, in Middle English. It also came to mean a group of diners sharing dishes, then a military or naval dining group and its dining place. The familiar senses “untidy state” and “confused, difficult situation” arose only in the 19th century.

Etymology

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”).

mes Middle English mēse Old English mēnsa la-lat missum la-lat

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# mess

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /mɛs/
**Frequency rank:** 940

## Meanings
1. A dirty or untidy state; a place where things are not in order.
2. A confused or difficult situation.
3. To make something untidy, dirty, or disordered.
4. A person who is very upset or in emotional trouble.

## Examples
- The house was a complete mess after the party.
- He got himself into a real mess with his finances.
- I messed up my room while looking for my passport.
- After the breakup she was an emotional mess.

## Derived Forms
- mess-up
- messdeck
- messer
- messless
- messmate
- messroom
- messy
- unmess

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: mes
- Root: mēse
- Root: mēnsa
- Root: missum

## Etymology
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”).

## AI Etymology
Mess comes 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”). In present-day English its meanings include a dirty or untidy state; a place where things are not in order, a confused or difficult situation, and to make something untidy, dirty, or disordered. The historical chain runs through mes (Middle English), mēse (Old English), mēnsa (Late Latin), mes (Old French), and missum (Late Latin). Related and derived forms include mess-up, messdeck, and messer.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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