Meanings
plural chance-medleys · alternative chancemedley
- countablehistoricaluncountablelawThe killing of another in self-defence upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter.
Manſlaughter, otherwiſe called Chancemedley, is when two do fight together upon the ſudden, and by meer Chance, without any Malice precedent, and one of them doth kill the other; this alſo is Felony of Death.
1618, Michael Dalton, chapter CXLVI, in The Country Justice, Savoy: Henry Lintot, published 1746, page 333Synonyms: manslaught, manslaughter
- countableobsoleteuncountableLuck; chance; accident.
Though much depends on what thy choice shall be, / Is all chance-medley, and unknown to me.
1784, William Cowper, Tirocinium; Or, A Review of Schools1 more example
This is true in the general right of marriage, but not in the chance-medley of every particular match.
1645, John Milton, TetrachordonSynonyms: fortune
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe killing of another in self-defence upon a sudden and unpremeditated encounter.
nounLuck; chance; accident.
Origin
- Old Frenchchance medlée
- Englishchance-medley
From Old French chance medlée, literally "mingled chance", with postpositive adjective (often confused because of the fact that medley is also a noun).
More words from Old French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
chance-medley. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chance-medley
“chance-medley.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chance-medley. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chance-medley,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chance-medley.
Source: chance-medley on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.