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

To avoid the melee on the cables, five climbers sought shelter in a cramped granite cave at the summit.

From Los Angeles Times

The incident happened shortly after the full-time whistle of the match on 31 August, following a melee involving both sets of players and sparked by the Uruguayan.

From BBC

He was one of three people who died that day during the Chicano Moratorium, a rally against the Vietnam War that out-of-control cops turned into a melee.

From Los Angeles Times

Meeting men is nice, but that is eclipsed by these other concerns and ambitions, as many former sorority girls have pointed out in the recent social media melee.

From Salon

This year, more tinder has been added to the fire, thanks to a flurry of hit batters and a benches-clearing melee during a series at Dodger Stadium in June.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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