melee

¹

or mê·lée

[ mey-ley, mey-ley, mel-ey ]

noun

1. a confused hand-to-hand fight or struggle among several people.
2. confusion; turmoil; jumble:

   the melee of Christmas shopping.

adjective

1. Games. of or relating to close-range or hand-to-hand combat, especially in video games and role-playing games, but also in some other tabletop games: You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.

   I don't enjoy playing melee jobs like Monk or Warrior—I prefer to snipe from afar with an archer or even a mage.

   You can choose any melee weapon type, but most players prefer daggers since the polearm was nerfed in an expansion last year.

melee

²

[ mey-ley, mey-ley ]

noun

1. a group of diamonds, each weighing less than 0.25 carat.

melee

/ ˈmɛleɪ /

noun

1. a noisy riotous fight or brawl

Word History and Origins

Origin of melee¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French mêlée “quarrel, mixture”; medley

Origin of melee²

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of melee¹

C17: from French mêlée. See medley

Example Sentences

That melee started after prisoners brewed up a batch of contraband alcohol known as pruno, according to a law enforcement report reviewed by The Times.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, they were convicted of seditious conspiracy and other felonies for organising the melee.

From BBC

By about 1:45 a.m., several mobile response squads waded into the melee to try to separate protesters and counterprotesters who’d converged near a flagpole.

From Los Angeles Times

Holly had 36 knife injuries, the blade snapping in the melee, and another boy who tried to pull MacPhail away was stabbed.

From BBC

As the clock ticked down, tempers flared between England second row John Bateman and Samoa's John Asiata, prompting a melee that involved nearly all 26 players.

From BBC

Related Words

• brawl
• brouhaha
• clash
• fracas
• free-for-all
• ruckus
• scrimmage
• scuffle
• skirmish
• tussle