You Probably Know the German Word “Messie”

But is it the same in English? It’s not.

Since the late 1990s, people who collect a lot of things and have trouble keeping their homes organised and tidy have been called „Messies“ in German. (The word comes from the English word „mess“ meaning chaos and clutter).

We don’t use this word in English (just as we don’t use the word „Handy“ for a mobile phone).

We call people who hoard items like newspapers, old electronics and empty containers  „hoarders“ or even „compulsive hoarders„.  But I’ve also read the words „junkaholic“ and „pack rats“.

While researching this word, I even found that there’s a „Messie Hilfe Team“ in Germany with an English website. You might like to take a look.

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to hoard (obsessively collecting)  – horten, hamstern