Messify

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause something to become untidy, cluttered, or disordered in appearance
2. To turn a neat or orderly space into a jumble of loose items and clutter
3. To make a tidy thing dirty, disarranged, or chaotic through careless handling

Etymology: "Messify" is a verb formed by adding the suffix "-ify" to "mess." The base word "mess" came into English from Old French "mes," meaning a dish or portion of food, which in turn came from Late Latin "missum," something put on the table. Over time a "mess" came to mean a serving of food, then a company of people who ate together, such as a military dining group, and finally a state of disorder, the sense that gave rise to the modern word for an untidy condition. The suffix "-ify," borrowed through Old French from Latin "-ificare," turns a noun or adjective into a verb meaning to make or cause something to be a certain way. Words like "simplify" and "clarify" follow the same pattern, so "messify" is a regular, transparent formation: to make into a mess.