Etymology Explorer › French

Where does “mêlée” come from?

mêlée (French) comes from Old French meslee, from Latin misculō, from Latin misceō, from Proto-Italic mikskō, from Proto-Indo-European miḱ-sḱé-, from Proto-Indo-European meyḱ-, from Proto-Indo-European mey- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.

mêlée (French): fray; scrum; feminine singular of the past...

Definitions

  1. fray; scrum; feminine singular of the past...

Ancestry of “mêlée”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmesleefeminine singular of the past participle of...
2Latinmisculō—
3Latinmisceō—
4Proto-Italicmikskōto mix
5Proto-Indo-Europeanmiḱ-sḱé-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmeyḱ-to mix
7Proto-Indo-Europeanmey-to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange

Words derived from “mêlée”

  • melee
  • mêlée
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mey- →