Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
chance-medley

chance-medley

9.9
An unplanned killing during a sudden fight, often in self-defence
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃænsˌmɛdli/
  • Archaic
translation icon : homicidio involuntario
  • The defendant claimed that the killing was chance-medley, not a deliberate act.

Examples

  • The court ruled that it was a chance-medley and not murder.

  • Legal historians often reference cases of chance-medley to explain the evolution of manslaughter laws.

  • In English common law, chance-medley was used to describe deaths resulting from sudden quarrels.

  • It was a chance-medley.

  • In English common law, a chance-medley refers to an unplanned killing that occurs during a sudden conflict.

  • The jury found the action justified as a chance-medley, considering it was in self-defense.

  • Legal historians often analyze instances of chance-medley to better understand historical legal distinctions.

Antonyms

premeditated
  • Formal
22 7.2

Done on purpose after planning it

Surface Forms

chance-medley singular
chance-medleys plural

Morphology

chance-medley = chance + medley (opaque) = chance + medley

Although formed from 'chance' + 'medley', the specialized archaic legal meaning ('an unpremeditated killing') is not inferable by typical learners from the component meanings.

Etymology

Chance-medley comes from chance ('accident' or 'luck') and medley ('mix' or 'confused mixture'), a way to say a sudden, mixed-up event in old law. So it named a killing that happened by 'chance' in a sudden 'mix' or fight, not a planned murder, and was often treated as self-defence.