## 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
- Describing Qualities

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