melee
noun/ˈmeleɪ/
/ˈmeɪleɪ/
[singular] (from French)- a situation in which a crowd of people are rushing or pushing each other in a confused way
- Several people were hurt in the melee.
- I lost hold of her hand in the melee of people rushing towards the entrance.
Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French mêlée, from an Old French variant of meslee ‘melee’, based on medieval Latin misculare ‘to mix’.Want to learn more?
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