melee

Melee is a term used to describe close-quarters combat conducted at contact range with handheld weapons or bare hands. It contrasts with ranged combat, where engagements occur at a distance using missiles such as bows, spears, or firearms. The word comes from the French mêlée, meaning a mixed or confused fight, from mélanger to mix.

In historical contexts, melees were common in both battlefield and tournament settings. On the battlefield, melee engagements involved infantry wielding swords, axes, hammers, maces, spears, and shields, often as soldiers closed to hand-to-hand combat after initial volley fire. In medieval tournaments, a melee was a massed contest in which many knights fought simultaneously, sometimes under rules that limited weapon types or aimed to reduce fatalities. The term can also describe chaotic close-quarters fighting within larger battles or skirmishes.

In modern media, melee is used to describe close-range combat mechanics in video games and tabletop games. Players typically distinguish melee from ranged attacks by range, movement requirements, and damage profiles; melee attacks may require direct contact, have slower hitboxes, or rely on parries, grapples, or crowd-control effects. Real-world close combat includes a range of martial traditions emphasizing footwork, leverage, and technique rather than the use of specialized ranged weapons.

Melee remains a general category in combat theory and game design, applicable to historical studies, fiction, and entertainment media as a shorthand for hand-to-hand and close-quarters fighting.