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Mess vs Amiss - What's the difference?

mess | amiss |

In obsolete|lang=en terms the difference between mess and amiss

is that mess is (obsolete) mass; church service while amiss is (obsolete) fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed.

As nouns the difference between mess and amiss

is that mess is (obsolete) mass; church service or mess can be a disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder while amiss is (obsolete) fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed.

As a verb mess

is (label) to take meals with a mess or mess can be (label) to make a mess of.

As an adjective amiss is

wrong; faulty; out of order; improper; as, it may not be amiss to ask advice.

As an adverb amiss is

(archaic) mistakenly.

mess

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), partly from (etyl) . More at (m); see also (m).

Noun

(es)
  • (obsolete) Mass; church service.
  • 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.
    • A mess of pottage.
  • * Milton
    • At their savoury dinner set / Of herbs and other country messes .
  • 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.
    • the wardroom mess
  • * 1610 , , IV. iv. 11:
    • But that our feasts / In every mess have folly, and the feeders / Digest it with accustom,
  • A set of four (from the old practice of dividing companies into sets of four at dinner).
    • (Latimer)
  • (US) The milk given by a cow at one milking.
    • Derived terms
    * Eton mess * lose the number of one's mess * mess hall * mess up * Mills Mess
    External links
    *

    Verb

  • (label) To take meals with a mess.
  • (label) To belong to a mess.
  • (label) To eat (with others).
  • (label) To supply with a mess.

    • External links

    *

    Etymology 2

    Perhaps a corruption of (etyl) , compare (muss), or derived from Etymology 1 "mixed foods, as for animals".

    Noun

    (-)
  • A disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; hence, a situation resulting from blundering or from misunderstanding; a disorder.
  • (label) A large quantity or number.
  • (label) Excrement.
    • Quotations
    * (English Citations of "mess")
    Synonyms
    * see also

    Verb

    (es)
  • (label) To make a mess of.
  • (label) To throw into confusion.
  • (label) To interfere.
    • Derived terms
    (terms derived from "mess") * messy * mess around * mess up * mess with

    External links

    *

    References

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    amiss

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper; as, it may not be amiss to ask advice.
    • He suspected something was amiss .
    Something amiss in the arrangements had distracted the staff.
  • * Wollaston
    • His wisdom and virtue cannot always rectify that which is amiss in himself or his circumstances.

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (archaic) Mistakenly
  • (archaic) Astray
  • (archaic) Wrongly.

    • Noun

    (amisses)
  • (obsolete) Fault; wrong; an evil act, a bad deed.
  • * 1590 , Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene , II.i:
    • Now by my head (said Guyon) much I muse, / How that same knight should do so foule amis [...].
  • * 1635 , John Donne, "His parting from her":
    • Yet Love, thou'rt blinder then thy self in this, / To vex my Dove-like friend for my amiss [...].

    External links

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    Anagrams

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