Melee
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A melee is a medieval term for disorganized group combat. Frequently a melee would occur if the combattants on one side were not a rigorously trained army, but rather were a militia, a mob of local peasants, or a ragtag group of mercenaries.
The term comes from the French word mélée, the feminine benefactive form of the verb méler (alternately medeler). This verb means to mix and is related to the English words medley and mettle.