mess kit

noun

1. a portable set of usually metal cooking and eating utensils, used especially by soldiers and campers.

mess kit

noun

1. formal evening wear for officers
2. Also calledmess gear eating utensils used esp in the field

Word History and Origins

Origin of mess kit¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Even musicians in King’s band traveled with mess kits and canned goods for times they couldn’t find a restaurant to serve them.

From New York Times

It was filled to the brim with everything from Army Air Corps documents to his portable mess kit and even — though I didn't know it then — his pistol and bullets from the war.

From Salon

After dinner, Terry went to a small brook to wash his mess kit.

From Washington Post

On separate tables are some of the artifacts that were among the remains: combat boots, a 1940s penny, a mess kit with three plastic spoons and a helmet.

From Wall Street Journal

Other artifacts, such as boots, canteens, mess kits and a steel helmet, were with the remains.

From Washington Post