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 (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.[2][3] 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
- 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
- ^ "Definition of melee". Merriam-Webster. Archived 2 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ W. R. Livermore (1882). The American Kriegsspiel. Riverside Press, Cambridge. p. 105. Archived 2020-06-04 at the Wayback Machine. 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 March 27, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 27, 2020.