A melee (/ˈmeɪleɪ/ or /ˈmɛleɪ/) is hand-to-hand fighting 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.1
The 19th century 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.23 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 form of close proximity and physical contact in combat.4
See also
See also
- Combatives
- Melee weapons
- Tournament (medieval) § Melee
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (Often called "Melee" by fans)
- Armored combat (sport) for the modern revival of medieval melee
References
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.