I. ˈməs noun
( -es )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. obsolete
a. : a game in which players at a given signal scramble for small objects that have been thrown to the ground
when I cried ho, like boys unto a muss , kings would start forth — Shakespeare
b. : scramble
bauble and cap no sooner are thrown down, but there's a muss of more than half the town — John Dryden
2. slang : a confused conflict : disturbance , brawl , fight
kick up a muss
3. : a state of confusion or disorder : mess
can be quickly installed, without muss or fuss
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to make untidy : wrinkle , disarrange , rumple , dishevel
if these fabrics are very mussed, use dry press cloth — Mary B. Picken
most of the new hats manage to muss the hairdos — Lois Long
— often used with up
a hard apartment to muss up and easy to straighten out — Dorothy Baker