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A melee weapon (from French, "mixed", referring to groups of fighters interlocked in close combat) is any weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 that does not involve a projectile — that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use. A weapon that fires a projectile is a ranged weapon
Ranged weapon

A ranged weapon or missile weapon is any weapon that launches a projectile or that is a projectile itself. In contrast, a weapon intended to be used in man-to-man combat is called a melee weapon....
.

As such melee weapons do not include statically emplaced weapons, like a boobytrap or burning devices, but are carried by the troops.






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A melee weapon (from French, "mixed", referring to groups of fighters interlocked in close combat) is any weapon
Weapon

A weapon is a tool used to apply or threaten to apply force for the purpose of hunting, attack or defense in combat, subduing enemy personnel, or to destroy enemy weapons, equipment and defensive structures....
 that does not involve a projectile — that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use. A weapon that fires a projectile is a ranged weapon
Ranged weapon

A ranged weapon or missile weapon is any weapon that launches a projectile or that is a projectile itself. In contrast, a weapon intended to be used in man-to-man combat is called a melee weapon....
.

As such melee weapons do not include statically emplaced weapons, like a boobytrap or burning devices, but are carried by the troops. A melee
Mêlée

Melee generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
 weapon is a type of "cold weapon
Cold weapon

A cold weapon is any weapon that does not involve fire or explosions as a result from the use of gun powder or explosive materials.Ranged weapons that do not include gun powder or explosive materials and m?l?e weapons are cold weapons....
".

There are two basic divisions — edged weapons, of which examples include sword
Sword

A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
s, spear
Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze....
s, axe
Axe

The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for Millennium to shape, split and cut wood, harvest Lumber, as a weapon and a ceremony or Heraldry symbol....
s and knives
Knife

A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of a handle attached to a blade that is used for cutting. Knives were used at least Stone Age, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools....
 and blunt weapons, such as clubs
Club (weapon)

A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff , or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon....
 and maces.

The basic principle of edged weapons is to increase the user's pressure by concentrating force applied onto a smaller surface area, such as an edge or point, thus more easily penetrating the opponent's body to cause wound
Wound

In medicine, a wound is a type of injury in which the skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force physical trauma causes a bruise . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin....
s. Because most of the effectiveness of edged weapons depends upon breaking the skin of an opponent, they lose much of their usefulness when pitted against armor.

Blunt weapons rely solely on mass and raw impact energy to disable opponents through broken bone
Bone

Bones are rigid organ that form part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They function to move, support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red blood cell and white blood cells and store minerals....
s, internal trauma
Blunt trauma

In medicine terminology, blunt trauma, blunt injury, non-penetrating trauma or blunt force trauma refers to a type of physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack; the latter usually being referred to as blunt force trauma....
 or concussions. Historically, maces and flails were developed and used to combat armored infantry, such as knight
Knight

File:Gothic armor 2.jpgKnight is the term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. In the Commonwealth of Nations, knighthood is a non-heritable form of gentry....
s, because of their ability to cause injuries even "through" plate armor, and were also very effective against flexible armor, such as chain mail
Maillé

Maill? may refer to the following places in France:* Maill?, Indre-et-Loire, a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department, site of a 1944 war crime...
. However, blunt weapons are usually heavier than edged weapons, as the extra weight is needed to cause greater damage, especially through armor. This often makes blunt weapons more difficult to maneuver.

See also

  • Melee
    Mêlée

    Melee generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
  • Cold weapon
    Cold weapon

    A cold weapon is any weapon that does not involve fire or explosions as a result from the use of gun powder or explosive materials.Ranged weapons that do not include gun powder or explosive materials and m?l?e weapons are cold weapons....
  • List of melee weapons
    List of mêlée weapons

    This is a list of melee weapons. It includes modern and historical but not fictional weapons from fantasy or role-playing games. Melee weapons are any weapon that does not involve a projectile ? that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use....
  • knife fight
    Knife fight

    A knife fight is a fight in which each combatant is armed with a knife. It is similar to a swordfight, except that knives are much shorter than swords, resulting in the combatants engaging at closer ranges....