# Melee

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Hand-to-hand combat

For other uses, see [Melee (disambiguation)](/source/Melee_(disambiguation)).

Look up ***[melee](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/melee)*** or ***[mêlée](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/m%C3%AAl%C3%A9e)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A **melee** ([/ˈmeɪleɪ/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) or [/ˈmɛleɪ/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English)) is [hand-to-hand fighting](/source/Hand-to-hand_combat) among several people. The English term *melee* originated circa 1648 from the French word **mêlée** (French: [\[mɛle\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French)), derived from the Old French *mesler*, from which *[medley](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/medley)* and *[meddle](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/meddle)* were also derived.[1]

The 19th century tabletop [wargame](/source/Wargame) *[Kriegsspiel](/source/Kriegsspiel)*, and [H.G. Wells](/source/H.G._Wells)' 1913 *[Little Wars](/source/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](/source/Tabletop_role-playing_game) such as *[Dungeons & Dragons](/source/Dungeons_%26_Dragons)*, and in turn to [role-playing video games](/source/Role-playing_video_game), to describe any form of close [proximity](/source/Proxemics) and physical contact in combat.[4]

## See also

- [Combatives](/source/Combatives)

- [Melee weapons](/source/Melee_weapon)

- [Tournament (medieval) § Melee](/source/Tournament_(medieval)#Melee)

- [Super Smash Bros. Melee](/source/Super_Smash_Bros._Melee) (Often called "Melee" by fans)

- [Armored combat (sport)](/source/Armored_combat_(sport)) for the modern revival of medieval melee

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Merriam_1-0)** ["Definition of melee"](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melee). [Merriam-Webster](/source/Merriam-Webster). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210302095052/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/melee) from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** W. R. Livermore (1882). [*The American Kriegsspiel*](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2013/20130610001am/20130610001am.pdf) (PDF). Riverside Press, Cambridge. p. 105. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20200604195240/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/service/gdc/scd0001/2013/20130610001am/20130610001am.pdf) (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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wells_3-0)** H.G. Wells (1913). [*Little Wars*](https://archive.org/details/littlewarsgamefo00well). 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

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Tresca_4-0)** Michael J. Tresca (November 10, 2010). [*The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games*](https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&q=melee&pg=PA60). McFarland. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780786460090](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780786460090). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230327030807/https://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&q=melee&pg=PA60) from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2020.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Melee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melee) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melee?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.