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| {{Short description|Hand-to-hand combat}} | |||
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| {{Other uses}}A '''melee''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|eɪ|l|eɪ}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|l|eɪ}}) is a confused ] among several people. The English term ''melee'' originated circa 1648 from the French word ''{{lang|fr|mêlée}}'' ({{IPA|fr|mɛle|lang}}), derived from the Old French ''mesler'', from which '']'' and '']'' were also derived.<ref name="Merriam">{{cite web |title=Definition of melee |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melee |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302095052/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melee |archive-date=2 March 2021 |access-date=10 June 2017 |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| {{Other uses}} | |||
| ] 1340 (BNF Fr. 2643, 15th century)]] | |||
| ]'' by ] depicting a melee in which King ] was killed on 16 November 1632.]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| '''Melee''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|eɪ|l|eɪ}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɛ|l|eɪ}}, French: '''mêlée''' {{IPA-fr|mɛle|}}; the French spelling is also quite frequent in English writing), generally refers to disorganized ] in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts.{{sfn|OED|2015}} | |||
| The 1812 tabletop ] '']'', and ]' 1913 '']'', referred to the hand-combat stage of the game as a ''melée,'' or ''{{lang|fr|mêlée}}'', respectively.<ref>{{cite book |title=The American Kriegsspiel |author=W. R. Livermore |publisher=Riverside Press, Cambridge |year=1882 |page=105 |quote="The first point to be considered is the number of combatants on either side and the relative advantages under which they are fighting; the second the losses and duration of the melee" |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2013/20130610001am/20130610001am.pdf |access-date=2019-08-14 |archive-date=2020-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604195240/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2013/20130610001am/20130610001am.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Wells">{{cite book |author=H.G. Wells |url=https://archive.org/details/littlewarsgamefo00well |title=Little Wars |publisher=Frank Palmer Publishing |year=1913 |quote="We did at last contrive to do so ; we invented what we call the melee, and our revised rules in the event of a melee will be found set out upon a later page"}}</ref> The term was brought over to ]s such as '']'', and in turn to ]s, to describe any close-combat encounter.<ref name="Tresca">{{cite book |author=Michael J. Tresca |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&q=melee&pg=PA60 |title=The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games |date=November 10, 2010 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786460090 |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327030807/https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&q=melee&pg=PA60 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| The French term was first used in English in c. 1640 (a re-borrowing of a lost Middle English ''melle'',{{citation needed|date=May 2015}} but the Old French borrowing survives in '']'' and '']'').{{sfn|OED|2015}} | |||
| In military aviation, a melee has been described as "n air battle in which several aircraft, both friend and foe, are confusingly intermingled".{{sfn|Kumar|DeRemer|Marshall|2004|p=462}} In other words a ]. | |||
| ] described his tactics for the ] as inducing a "] battle", or a melee between the fleets, which he was sure would lead to a decisive victory, given the superiority of the Royal Navy.{{sfn|Fremont-Barnes|2005|p=38}} | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| {{wiktionary|melee|mêlée}} | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | *] | ||
| *{{section link|Tournament (medieval)|Melee}} | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| ] | |||
| {{Wiktionary|melee}} | |||
| *{{citation |last=Fremont-Barnes |first=Gregory |year=2005 |title=Trafalgar 1805: Nelson's Crowning Victory |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-84176-892-2 |page=38}} | |||
| *{{citation |last=Kumar |first=Bharat |last2=DeRemer |first2=Dale |last3=Marshall |first3=Douglas |year=2004 |title=An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=g_Zei3jR1U4C |publisher=McGraw Hill Professional|isbn=978-0-07-178260-9 |page=}} | |||
| *{{citation |ref={{harvid|OED|2015}}|title=Oxford English Dictionary|date=March 2015|article=mêlée n.|edition=online |publisher=Oxford University Press|chapterurl=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/116086}}<!--" A battle or engagement at close quarters, a hand-to-hand fight; a skirmish; a confused struggle or scuffle, esp. one involving many people. Also hist.: a tournament involving two groups of combatants."--> | |||
| {{mil-stub|date=May 2015}} | |||
| ⚫ | {{mil-stub|date=May 2015}} | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 08:36, 9 December 2024
Hand-to-hand combat For other uses, see Melee (disambiguation).A melee (/ˈmeɪleɪ/ or /ˈmɛleɪ/) is a confused hand-to-hand fight among several people. The English term melee originated circa 1648 from the French word mêlée (French: [mɛle]), derived from the Old French mesler, from which medley and meddle were also derived.
The 1812 tabletop wargame Kriegsspiel, and H.G. Wells' 1913 Little Wars, referred to the hand-combat stage of the game as a melée, or mêlée, respectively. The term was brought over to tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and in turn to role-playing video games, to describe any close-combat encounter.
See also
References
- "Definition of melee". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- W. R. Livermore (1882). The American Kriegsspiel (PDF). Riverside Press, Cambridge. p. 105. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-06-04. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
The first point to be considered is the number of combatants on either side and the relative advantages under which they are fighting; the second the losses and duration of the melee
- H.G. Wells (1913). Little Wars. Frank Palmer Publishing.
We did at last contrive to do so ; we invented what we call the melee, and our revised rules in the event of a melee will be found set out upon a later page
- Michael J. Tresca (November 10, 2010). The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games. McFarland. ISBN 9780786460090. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
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