A Mess Was Once a Portion of Food
Messy means untidy. The noun mess originally meant a serving of food, which is why soldiers still eat in a mess.
Messy means untidy or disordered. The noun behind it began as food: a *mess* was a portion or dish served at a meal, which is why soldiers and sailors still eat in a *mess* and officers belong to a *mess*. The sense of disorder came later, probably from *a mess of pottage* and similar phrases suggesting a soft unappetising mixture. The biblical *mess of pottage*, for which Esau sold his birthright, keeps the food sense exactly.
- Untidy. *A messy desk.*
- A mess — disorder. *What a mess.*
- A military dining room. *The officers' mess.*
- A portion of food (archaic). *A mess of pottage.*
- Mess about — to potter or fool around. *Messing about.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | messy | A messy room. |
| Noun | mess | A terrible mess. |
| Verb | mess | Mess it up. |
| Compound | mess hall | The mess hall. |
| Old French | mes | A dish of food. |
- The kitchen was messy after dinner.Untidy.
- He ate in the sergeants' mess.Military.
- A mess of pottage was a dish of stew.Biblical.
Mess in military life
- Mess — both the dining room and the group who eat together
- Mess hall — where the food is served
- Mess kit — the eating utensils, and also formal evening dress
- Mess tin — the metal container used in the field
- All from the original sense of a portion of food
Old French *mes*, a dish or portion of food, from Late Latin *missus*, a course at table, from *mittere*, to send or put.
Why do soldiers eat in a mess?
Because mess originally meant a portion of food or a group who ate together. The military use preserves the older meaning.
What is a mess of pottage?
A dish of stew. In the Bible, Esau sold his birthright for one, and the phrase now means trading something valuable for something trivial.