The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Mess \Mess\ (m[e^]s), n.
   Mass; church service. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Mess \Mess\ (m[e^]s), n. [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.
      [1913 Webster]

            At their savory dinner set
            Of herbs and other country messes.    --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. A set of four; -- from the old practice of dividing
      companies into sets of four at dinner. [Obs.] --Latimer.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. The milk given by a cow at one milking. [U.S.]
      [1913 Webster]

   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.]
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Mess \Mess\, v. 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.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Mess \Mess\, v. t.
   1. To supply with a mess.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To make a mess[5] of; to disorder or muddle; to muss; to
      jumble; to disturb; to mess up.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

            It was n't right either to be messing another man's
            sleep.                                --Scribner's
                                                  Mag.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

mess
    n 1: a state of confusion and disorderliness; "the house was a
         mess"; "she smoothed the mussiness of the bed" [syn:
         mess, messiness, muss, mussiness]
    2: informal terms for a difficult situation; "he got into a
       terrible fix"; "he made a muddle of his marriage" [syn:
       fix, hole, jam, mess, muddle, pickle, kettle of
       fish]
    3: soft semiliquid food; "a mess of porridge"
    4: a meal eaten in a mess hall by service personnel
    5: a (large) military dining room where service personnel eat or
       relax [syn: mess, mess hall]
    6: (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent;
       "a batch of letters"; "a deal of trouble"; "a lot of money";
       "he made a mint on the stock market"; "see the rest of the
       winners in our huge passel of photos"; "it must have cost
       plenty"; "a slew of journalists"; "a wad of money" [syn:
       batch, deal, flock, good deal, great deal,
       hatful, heap, lot, mass, mess, mickle, mint,
       mountain, muckle, passel, peck, pile, plenty,
       pot, quite a little, raft, sight, slew, spate,
       stack, tidy sum, wad]
    v 1: eat in a mess hall
    2: make a mess of or create disorder in; "He messed up his room"
       [syn: mess, mess up]