mêlée

Mêlée, commonly written melee in English, refers to close-quarters combat involving several combatants in a single, often chaotic engagement. It covers hand-to-hand fighting as well as combat with melee weapons such as swords, axes, or clubs, typically conducted at short range with limited maneuvering space.

Etymology: The word derives from French mêlée meaning mixture or crowd; it entered English in the early modern period from Old French. The diacritic ê is commonly dropped in English spellings, though some texts retain mêlée. The term is sometimes used to describe a specific contest involving a crowded scrum in sports, such as rugby union, where a mêlée historically denotes a close-quarters contest for possession.

Usage and contexts: In military history, a mêlée describes a dense, chaotic engagement between many combatants, as opposed to a formal duel or skirmish. In games and fiction, melee denotes close combat between multiple participants and is often contrasted with ranged or magical combat. In video games and tabletop role-playing games, melee attacks are typically short-range actions that rely on physical proximity, weapon reach, and defense, rather than ranged abilities.

Examples: A fantasy novel may depict a mêlée erupting as enemies mob the protagonist; a role-playing game lists melee weapons and mechanics for close-quarters engagement; a video game may offer separate melee and ranged combat modes or bonuses.