Melee Melee ( or / ˈmeleɪ / , French : mêlée , the French spelling is also quite frequent in English writing ) , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters . A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit ; each participant fights as an individual . Origin of the term . The French term is the feminine past participle of the verb " " " to mix " . Nominalized , it refers to any confused tangle or agitated scramble , in particular unordered combat . The term descends from Old French " meslede " , from Vulgar Latin " misculāta " " mixed " , from Latin " miscēre " " to mix " ; compare " mélange " , " milieu " . Like other common foreign - derived terms used in English , the word is sometimes written without accents ( i . e . as " melee " ) . Medieval use . During the Middle Ages , tournaments often contained a mêlée consisting of knights fighting one another on foot or while mounted , either divided into two sides or fighting as a free - for - all . The object was to capture opposing knights so that they could be ransomed , and this could be a very profitable business for such skilled knights as William Marshal . There was a tournament ground covering several square miles in northern France to which knights came from all over Europe to prove themselves in quite real combat . This was , in fact , the original form of tournaments and the most popular between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries — jousting being a later development , and one that did not completely displace the mêlée until many more centuries had passed . The original mêlée was engaged with normal weapons and fought with as much danger as a normal battle . Rules slowly tempered the danger , but at all times the mêlée was more dangerous than the joust . Modern use . The term " melee " has been extended to refer to other forms of combat , such as a naval or armor battle that is fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts . The Battle of Trafalgar became a melee when the British ships broke the French and Spanish line , precipitating a ship - to - ship battle . In this instance , the melee was planned ; Admiral Nelson used the superior fighting qualities of his crews to offset the greater French and Spanish numbers . Melee is occasionally used to describe disorganized groups of people and vehicles , such as mob s , mosh pit s , and traffic jam s . It is also used in sport . For example , the Australian Football League has an official " melee rule " which is used to fine players involved in large on - field brawl s , regardless of whether or not they throw punches . Use in gaming . " Melee " has been adopted and popularized as a term in war - gaming , board games , tabletop role - playing games and video games to encompass all close - quarter fighting and directly striking an opponent at ranges generally less than a few feet with , but not only , fists , feet , knives , rifle - butts or any other melee weapon or special spells or tactics with the intention of causing harm . The term was first applied to games in H . G . Wells ' s 1913 " Little Wars " , where the author develops a " melee rule " in his war game . It was later popularized by " Dungeons & Dragons " , which featured a " melee phase " to represent the fighting of characters outside of bows and magic . This term still applies to most role - playing games , but is often used in the context of first - person shooter video games to specify a non - ranged attack . This began with the 1992 game , " Wolfenstein 3D " , which featured a knife that could be selected from the inventory , just like a gun . Because of the risk involved in using a melee weapon , they were typically the most powerful weapons available , in terms of damage . Later , " Duke Nukem 3D " would include a button that allowed the character to kick enemies while still wielding a gun . A Nintendo franchise called Super Smash Bros . had its second game released in 2001 for the GameCube and used the term " melee " in the title .