melee

¹ American  

[mey-ley, mey-ley, mel-ey] / ˈmeɪ leɪ, meɪˈleɪ, ˈmɛl eɪ /

Or mêlée

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 American  

[mey-ley, mey-ley] / ˈmeɪ leɪ, meɪˈleɪ /

noun

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

---

melee British  

/ ˈmɛleɪ /

noun

1. a noisy riotous fight or brawl

---

Etymology

Origin of melee¹

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

Origin of melee²

First recorded in 1910–15; origin uncertain

Explanation

A melee is a noisy free-for-all or rowdy fight — a no holds barred, battle royal, if you will. It's what pro wrestlers engage in every night, and shoppers endure at the toy store every holiday season. If you think melee sounds like a fancy French way to say "crazy bar brawl," you're right: It comes from the French mêlée which means "confused fight or mixture.” What makes a melee different than any other fight is that element of chaos or confusion — so don't jump into a brewing melee unless you're really ready to bring the ruckus.

Example Sentences

Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian The circus was in town and so were the clowns, Dictaphones cocked like hooters, bodies six deep in the mêlée.

From The Guardian • Jan. 16, 2013

Doncaster, though, were unfortunate not to level following a goalmouth scramble 10 minutes before half-time, Shelton Martis seeing his goalbound effort blocked in the mêlée.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2012

The goalkeeper then produced an even better save from the resultant corner clawing the ball off his line after a goalmouth mêlée.

From The Guardian • Sep. 21, 2010

A 12-man mêlée ensued, Camp leaving his area to remonstrate with McCormack before the Scot was booked and the stalemate moved into its final, unproductive if scarcely uneventful phase.

From The Guardian • Apr. 5, 2010

Every blessed daughter of Eve in that mêlée yesterday was armed, one might almost say, to the teeth.

From Half-Hours with the Idiot by Bangs, John Kendrick

Related Words

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