The word’s origins comes from the old French word “mes” with translates in English to “a dish”. A few hundred years ago, a few people used to eat from the same dish at once on ships or anywhere that has limited space or food, hence the origin of the meaning. Modern French speakers do not pronounce it “mes” instead they say “met”. However, the old French word has carried on into the English speaking communities and has stuck ever since as “mess”.