Melee weapon

A melee weapon is a weapon used in hand-to-hand combat such as a bladed weapon or a blunt weapon. The term Melee originated in the 1640s from the French word mêlée, which refers to hand-to-hand combat, a close quarters battle, a brawl, a confused fight, etc.

There are two basic divisions: edged weapons, of which examples include swords, spears, axes, knives, and shovels; and blunt weapons, such as clubs, hammers, staffs, maces, and flails.