Pell-mell definition

pĕlmĕl
adjective
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In haste, uncontrolledly, confusedly.
adverb
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In a jumbled, confused manner; helter-skelter.
adverb
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In frantic disorderly haste; headlong.
adverb
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In a jumbled, confused mass or manner; without order or method.
adverb
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In wild, disorderly haste; headlong.
adverb
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A jumble; confusion; disorder.
noun
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Origin of pell-mell

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

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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

    From Wiktionary

Pell-mell Sentence Examples

  • This took place on the night of the 22nd of April 1826; but a mistaken order threw the ranks of the Greeks into disorder, and the Turks entered the town pell-mell with the retreating crowd.

  • It's great, intoxicating darkness, going pell mell for the burn.

  • He drives pell-mell out of Washington because of air raid dangers, onto his estate, then back to Washington... .

  • Chamberlain, the necessity of committing to memory two syllabaries, one of which has many variant forms, and at least two or three thousand Chinese ideographs, in forms standard and cursive ideographs, too, most of which are susceptible of three or four different readings according to circuinstance,add, further, that all these kinds of written symbols are apt to be encountered pell mell on the same page, and the task of mastering Japanese becomes almost Herculean.

  • He had meant only to lop off a few ultramontane extremists; he succeeded in sending Catholics of every shade and colour pell-mell into the arms of Rome.

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Words near pell-mell in the Dictionary