Messing

From the Old English personal name Mæcca + -ing (“belonging to”)[1].

Messing

1. A village in Messing-cum-Inworth parish, Colchester district, Essex, England (OS grid ref TL8918).

• Messing-cum-Inworth

Borrowed from German Messing (“brass”), a metonymic occupational surname for a brazier.

Messing (plural Messings)

1. A surname from German.

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Messing is the 12289^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 2530 individuals. Messing is most common among White (92.69%) individuals.

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Messing”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York City: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 580.

From Middle High German messinc, from Proto-Germanic *masjinga-, of uncertain ultimate origin. Perhaps derived from Ancient Greek Μοσσύνοικοι (Mossúnoikoi, “Mossynoeci”), the name of an ancient people connected with metallurgy; or alternatively from Latin massa (“lump (of metal)”).
Compare Saterland Frisian Mäsken (“brass”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɛsɪŋ/

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Messing n (strong, genitive Messings, no plural)

1. brass

• messingen
• Messingwerk

• Kroonen, Guus (2013), “masjinga”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 356

• “Messing” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Messing” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Messing” in Duden online
• Messing on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^de
• “Messing” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.