different between mess vs litter

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?s/
• Rhymes: -?s

Etymology 1

Perhaps a corruption of Middle English mesh (“mash”), compare muss, or derived from Etymology 2 "mixed foods, as for animals".

Noun

mess (countable and uncountable, plural messes)

2. A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding.

   Synonyms: disorder; see also Thesaurus:disorder

3. (colloquial) A large quantity or number.

4. (euphemistic) Excrement.

5. (figuratively) A person in a state of (especially emotional) turmoil or disarray; an emotional wreck.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:mess.

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive, often used with "up") To make untidy or dirty.
   1. To make soiled by defecating.
2. (transitive, often used with "up") To throw into disorder or to ruin.
   • 1905', Arthur Colton, The Belted Seas

     It wasn't right either to be messing another man's sleep.

3. (intransitive) To interfere.

4. (used with "with") To screw around with, to bother, to be annoying to.

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle English mes, partly from Old English m?se, m?ose (“table”); and partly from Old French mes, Late Latin missum, from mitt? (“to put, place (e.g. on the table)”). See mission, and compare Mass (“religious service”).

Noun

mess (plural messes)

1. (obsolete) Mass; a church service.
3. (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.
   • c. 1555, Hugh Latimer, letter to one in prison for the profession of the Gospel

     1. a mess of pottage
4. (collective) A number of persons who eat together, and for whom food is prepared in common, especially military personnel who eat at the same table.
5. A building or room in which mess is eaten.
6. A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
7. (US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
8. (collective) A group of iguanas.

   Synonym: slaughter

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

• Mess (military) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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).
   • 1836, George Simpson & al., HBC Standing Rules and Regulations, §18:

     Resolved 18. That no Guide or Interpreter whether at the Factory Depot or Inland be permitted to mess with Commissioned Gentlemen or Clerks in charge of Posts; but while at the Depot they will be allowed per Week 4 days ordinary rations...

4. (transitive) To supply with a mess.

Further reading

• Mess (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

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

Anagrams

• MSEs, MSes, Mses, Mses., SEMs, SMEs

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• messél, metssz, metsszél

Etymology

metsz +? -j (personal suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?m???]
• Hyphenation: mess
• Rhymes: -???

Verb

mess

1. second-person singular subjunctive present indefinite of metsz

Maltese

Etymology

From Arabic ?????? (massa).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?s/

Verb

mess (imperfect jmiss, past participle mimsus)

1. to touch
2. (figuratively) to touch, to affect

Conjugation

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish mes. Cognate with Irish meas (“fruit, mast”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /me?s/

Noun

mess m (genitive singular mess, plural messyn)

1. (botany) fruit

Derived terms

• messghart

Mutation

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

mess

1. imperative of messe

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• mes

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *messus, from Proto-Indo-European *med-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [m?es]

Noun

mess m (genitive messa, nominative plural mesai)

1. verbal noun of midithir
2. judgment
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 55^d11

Declension

Mutation

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “1 mes(s)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Swedish

Etymology

Clipping of sms.

Noun

mess n

1. (colloquial) text message

   Synonym: sms

Declension

Derived terms

• messa

References

• mess in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mess in Svensk ordbok (SO)

Vilamovian

Noun

mess n

1. brass

Related terms

• messera

English

Etymology

From French litière, from lit (“bed”), from Latin lectus; confer Ancient Greek ??????? (léktron). Had the sense ‘bed’ in very early English, but then came to mean ‘portable couch’, ‘bedding’, ‘strewn rushes (for animals)’, etc.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?l?t?(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?l?t?/, [?l???]
• Rhymes: -?t?(r)
• Homophone: lidder (US)

Noun

litter (countable and uncountable, plural litters)

1. (countable) A platform mounted on two shafts, or a more elaborate construction, designed to be carried by two (or more) people to transport one (in luxury models sometimes more) third person(s) or (occasionally in the elaborate version) a cargo, such as a religious idol.
2. (collective, countable) The offspring of a mammal born in one birth.
3. (uncountable) Material used as bedding for animals.

4. (uncountable) Collectively, items discarded on the ground.
   • 1730, Jonathan Swift, s:The Lady's Dressing Room

     Strephon [...] / Stole in, and took a strict survey / Of all the litter as it lay.
5. (uncountable) Absorbent material used in an animal's litter tray

6. (uncountable) Layer of fallen leaves and similar organic matter in a forest floor.
7. A covering of straw for plants.

Synonyms

• (platform designed to carry a person or a load): palanquin, sedan chair, stretcher, cacolet
• (items discarded on the ground): waste, rubbish, garbage (US), trash (US), junk

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

litter (third-person singular simple present litters, present participle littering, simple past and past participle littered)

1. (intransitive) To drop or throw trash without properly disposing of it (as discarding in public areas rather than trash receptacles).

2. (transitive) To scatter carelessly about.
3. (transitive) To strew (a place) with scattered articles.
4. (transitive) To give birth to, used of animals.
5. (intransitive) To produce a litter of young.
6. (transitive) To supply (cattle etc.) with litter; to cover with litter, as the floor of a stall.
   • 1693, John Hacket, Scrinia reserata: a Memorial offered to the great Deservings of John Williams

     Tell them how they litter their jades.

   • For his ease, well litter'd was the floor.

7. (intransitive) To be supplied with litter as bedding; to sleep or make one's bed in litter.
   • 1634, William Habington, Castara

     The inn where he and his horse litter'd.

Derived terms

• litterer

Translations

Anagrams

• retilt, tilter, titler

Norman

Etymology

From Old French luitier, loitier, luiter (compare French lutter), from Vulgar Latin luct?re, from Latin luctor, luct?r? (“struggle, wrestle, fight”).

Verb

litter

1. (Jersey) to wrestle

Derived terms

• litteux (“wrestler”)