Melee weapon
Amelee weapon,hand weapon,close combat weaponorfist-load weaponis any handheldweaponused inhand-to-hand combat,i.e. for use within the direct physical reach of the weapon itself, essentially functioning as an additional (and more effective) extension of the user's limbs. By contrast, aranged weaponis any other weapon capable of engaging targets at a distance beyond immediate physical contact.[1]
Etymology
[edit]The termmeleeoriginates in the 1640s from the French wordmêlée,which refers to disorganized hand-to-hand combat, a close-quarters battle, a brawl, or a confused fight; especially involving many combatants.[2][3][4]
The 1812 tabletop war gameKriegsspielreferred to the hand-combat stage of the game as amelee.[5]Later war games would follow this pattern.[6][7][8]From there, gamers would eventually begin to call the weapons used in that stagemelee weapons.[9][10]
Categories
[edit]Melee weapons can be broadly divided into three categories:
- Edged weapons,which coverswords,daggers,battle axes,andwar scythes.These weapons are designed to cause sharp trauma such aslaceration,dismemberment,andexsanguinationinjuries, and are most effective against minimally armoured opponents. These are used to cut, hack, slash, thrust or stab.
- Pointed weapons,which coverspears,pikes,lances,andmilitary forks.They typically have a sharp point designed to inflictpenetrating trauma,even against heavily armoured opponents. These weapons vary from short close-quarters weapons, to lengthier weapons with greater range. Certain variants may also hook at enemies to disrupt and disarm them, or pull them from atop horses.
- Blunt weapons,which coverclubs,maces,war hammers,staves,andflails.These weapons are designed to causeblunt trauma,even through armour that would protect against penetration by pointed or edged weapons.
Many weapons fit into multiple categories, or fit in between them; many polearms such ashalberds,lucerne hammers,andguisarmesadd edged and blunt methods of attack to a spear base, and varioushooked weaponssuch asbillhooks,fauchards,falxes,andbecs de corbinevade simple classification; while flexible weapons such aswhipsdon't fall into any of these categories.
List of melee weapons
[edit]- Edged and bladed weapons
- Pointed weapons
- Blunt weapons
- Non-lethal weapons
- Sports equipment(utilized as an improvised or makeshift melee weapon)
- Hardware and utility tools utilized as improvised melee weapons (often used for criminal purposes, or depicted in fiction)
See also
[edit]- Cold weapon
- Melee (gaming)
- Knife fight
- List of premodern combat weapons
- List of martial arts weapons
References
[edit]- ^Michele Byam (2010-11-30).Arms and Armor, Discover the story of weapons and armor-from Stone Age axes to the battledress of samurai warriors.New York: Dorling Kindersley.
- ^"the definition of melee".Dictionary.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2 March 2021.Retrieved10 June2017.
- ^"Definition of MELEE".Merriam-Webster.Archivedfrom the original on 2 March 2021.Retrieved10 June2017.
- ^Oxford English Dictionary.2015. mêlée. "A battle or engagement at close quarters, a skirmish; a confused struggle or scuffle, esp. one involving many people. Also hist.: a tournament involving two groups of combatants."
- ^W. R. Livermore (1882).The American Kriegsspiel(PDF).Riverside Press, Cambridge. p. 105.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2020-06-04.Retrieved2019-08-14.
The first point to be considered is the number of combatants on either side and the relative advantages under which they are fighting; the second the losses and duration of the melee
- ^H.G. Wells (1913).Little Wars.Frank Palmer Publishing.
We did at last contrive to do so; we invented what we call the melee, and our revised rules in the event of a melee will be found set out upon a later page
- ^Trevor Timpson (August 3, 2013)."Little Wars: How HG Wells created hobby war gaming".BBC News.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2017.RetrievedOctober 6,2017.
- ^Luke Plunkett (September 18, 2012)."HG Wells Practically Invented Modern Tabletop Wargaming".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2017.RetrievedOctober 6,2017.
- ^"Interview with Gary Gygax".Gamebanshee. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-02-03.
- ^Michael J. Tresca (November 10, 2010).The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games.McFarland.ISBN9780786460090.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2023.RetrievedOctober 27,2020.
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