muss
/mʌs/ verb, noun
Forms musses mussing mussed
- verb (transitive) To rumple, tousle or make (something) untidy. “The old man affectionately mussed his grandson's hair.”
- noun A mess (disagreeable mixture or confusion of things; disorder).
- noun (obsolete) A scramble, as when small objects are thrown down, to be taken by those who can seize them; a confused struggle.
- noun (obsolete) A term of endearment.
Synonyms
Etymology
Related to mess (“disorder”).
Compare Middle English mus (“a mouse”). See mouse.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A scramble, as when small objects are thrown down, to be taken by those who can seize them; a confused struggle. Shak.
- noun A state of confusion or disorder; --prob. variant of mess, but influenced by muss, a scramble. [Colloq. U.S.]
- verb To disarrange, as clothing; to rumple. [Colloq. U.S.]
- noun A term of endearment. [Obs.] See Mouse. B. Jonson.
Etymology [Cf. OF. mousche a fly, also, the play called muss, fr. L. musca a fly.]
Etymology [Cf. OE. mus a mouse. See Mouse.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “muss”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details