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

Related Words

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