US /mɛl/ UK /mɛl/
verb Freq #148387

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    To deal, concern oneself; to interfere or meddle.

    Do not mell in a quarrel that does not concern you.

Thesaurus

Word family
Forms mells
Related forms pell-mell

Etymology

From Middle English melen, mælen, from Old English mǣlan (“to speak, talk”), from mǣl (“speech, talk, conversation; dispute, contest, battle”) and māl (“suit, case, action, terms, agreement, covenanted pay”), both from Proto-Germanic *mahlą (“meeting, congress, speech”), alteration of *maþlą (“meeting, congress, speech”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂d- (“to meet, encounter”). Cognate with Scots mele (“to speak, converse, tell”), Danish mæle (“to speak, utter”), Icelandic mæla (“to speak, say”), Old High German mahalōn (“to charge, accuse, proscecute”), German vermählen (“to wed, m...

Topics

markdown

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