pell-mell

pell-mell

in a jumbled, confused mass or manner; without order or method
in wild, disorderly haste; headlong

Origin of pell-mell

French pêle-mêle from Old French pesle mesle, reduplicated, reduplication from mesler, to mix

a jumble; confusion; disorder

Also written pell′mell′

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MLA Style

"pell-mell." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 24 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/pell-mell>.

APA Style

pell-mell. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/pell-mell

pell-mell

also pell·mell

adverb

In a jumbled, confused manner; helter-skelter.
In frantic disorderly haste; headlong: “I went to work pell-mell, blotted several sheets of paper with choice floating thoughts” ( Washington Irving )

Origin of pell-mell

French pêle-mêle from Old French pesle mesle probably reduplication of mesle imperative of mesler to mix ; see meddle .

Related Forms:

pell′-mell′
adjective
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"pell-mell." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 24 March 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/pell-mell>.

APA Style

pell-mell. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/pell-mell

Adjective

(comparative more pell-mell, superlative most pell-mell)

Hasty, uncontrolled.

Adverb

(not comparable)

In haste, uncontrolledly, confusedly.

Origin

From French pÃªle-mÃªle from Old French pesle-mesle, apparently a rhyme based on the stem of mesler (“to mix, meddle"). Compare meddle, melee.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.