pell-mell
adverb/ˌpel ˈmel/
/ˌpel ˈmel/
(old-fashioned)- very quickly and in a way that is not controlled
- The children rushed pell-mell down the stairs.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from French pêle-mêle, from earlier pesle mesle, mesle pesle, reduplication from mesler ‘to mix’.Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
pell-mell