A skilled fighter or practitioner in German martial arts traditions, or someone who engages in 'Mensur' (formal dueling).
From German 'Messer' meaning 'knife,' relating to 'Messerfechtung' (knife fighting). The term was adopted into English in historical contexts of German student fencing cultures.
German university students in the 1800s engaged in ritualized 'Mensur' duels with sabers and knives as coming-of-age rituals—messers were the specialists who trained in these dangerous traditions!
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