Pell-mell
Suggest a CorrectionMeaning
In disorderly confusion or at a headlong pace, with people or things mixed together unpredictably. Can describe both confused arrangement and rapid, headlong movement. It is expressive but less common in neutral modern speech than hurriedly or in disorder. Regional use: Borrowed into English from Middle French; now literary international English.
Origin
English borrowed pell-mell from Middle French pelemele and records it by 1590. The Academie francaise traces the French expression to the twelfth century while noting uncertainty about its ultimate formation, so confident stories that derive each syllable from a particular modern French word go beyond the evidence. English speakers preserved the borrowed rhythmic form while extending it readily from mixed-up physical movement to haste and general confusion. The French expression is older, but the English first-known date marks adoption, not original creation.
Research Sources
Variants
- In pell-mell fashion
Usage Examples
- The children tumbled pell-mell through the gate when the playground opened.
- Boxes had been stacked pell-mell without labels or an inventory.
- A rumour sent investors rushing pell-mell to sell otherwise sound shares.