Melee
- Melee
A kind of mock battle between sides of armed horsemen. Such melees took place in the 12c and were held in open spaces and to all intents and purposes were pitched battles. There was no set area of conflict; the open fields between villages were used. They were seen as realistic practice and training for war; they also served for the successful as a source of income. As they were fought realistically, so those captured would be ransomed, their equipment also being a source of money. Melees had fallen out of fashion by the 14c and were replaced by the *hastilude and *joust. -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases.
Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.
Synonyms:
Look at other dictionaries:
mêlée — mêlée … Dictionnaire des rimes
mêlée — [ mele ] n. f. • 1080; de mêler 1 ♦ Confusion de combattants au corps à corps. ⇒ bataille, cohue, combat. Mêlée confuse, générale, sanglante. « La mêlée en hurlant grandit comme une flamme » (Hugo). ♢ Lutte, conflit. Il a reçu un coup de poing… … Encyclopédie Universelle
Melee — Mêlée Lexique du rugby à XV Joueurs (avec leurs numeros traditionnels) Piliers (1 et 3) Talonneur (2) Deuxièmes lignes (4 et 5) Troisième ligne aile (6 et 7) Troisième ligne centre (8) Demi de mêlée (9) Demi d ouverture (10) Centres (12 et 13)… … Wikipédia en Français
Melee — Mêlée (fr.= das Getümmel, das Handgemenge, gemischt) ist: eine Taktik bzw. Situation in einer Seeschlacht, siehe Mêlée (Kriegführung) eine US amerikanische Pop Rock Band, siehe Mêlée (Band). eine Begriff für die Zusammenstellung von Formationen… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Mêlée — (fr.= das Getümmel, das Handgemenge, gemischt) ist: Mêlée (Kriegführung), eine Taktik bzw. Situation in einer Seeschlacht Mêlée (Band), eine US amerikanische Pop Rock Band Mêlée (Pétanque), die Zusammenstellung von Formationen in der Boule… … Deutsch Wikipedia
melee — or mêlée [mā′lā΄, mā lā′] n. [Fr mêlée < OFr meslee: see MEDLEY] 1. a noisy, confused fight or hand to hand struggle among a number of people 2. a confused conflict or mixture … English World dictionary
melee — (n.) 1640s, from Fr. mêlée, from O.Fr. meslee brawl, confused fight; mixture, blend (12c.), noun use of fem. pp. of mesler to mix, mingle (see MEDDLE (Cf. meddle)). See also MEDLEY (Cf. medley). Borrowed in Middle English as melle but lost and… … Etymology dictionary
melee — ► NOUN 1) a confused fight. 2) a disorderly mass. ORIGIN French mêlée; related to MEDLEY(Cf. ↑medley) … English terms dictionary
Mêlée — (franz.), Handgemenge, Wortstreit … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
melee — I index affray II index altercation, belligerency, bluster (commotion) III … Law dictionary
mêlée — I index brawl II index collision (dispute), commotion, confrontation (altercation) … Law dictionary