I. ˈpel|mel adverb
Etymology: Middle French pelemele, from Old French pesle mesle, probably reduplication of mesle, imperative singular of mesler to mix, mingle — more at meddle
1. : in mingled confusion or disorder
the infantry followed pell-mell — W.H.Prescott
piles of volumes that were heaped pell-mell around him — Christopher Morley
2. : without distinction or discrimination : indiscriminately
so that you will not simply read everything pell-mell and without judgment — N.N.Glatzer
3. : in or as if in confused haste : headlong
hesitated to barge ahead pell-mell as he had done in previous years — Clay Blair
II. adjective
: marked by confusion, disorder, or haste : helter-skelter
the pell-mell rush of magnitudinous events — Marian E. Wagner
a shelf that contained a pell-mell assortment of French novels — Nicolas Nabokov
III. noun
( -s )
1. : an indiscriminate medley
five setters … came down the drive in a pell-mell of welcome — James Reynolds
2. : confusion , disorder
the pell-mell of life's disorganized and casual happenings — J.C.Powys
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to mix up in an indiscriminate manner
they pell-mell the dead with the living all in one kirk — William Birnie
intransitive verb
: to hurry in a confused or disorderly manner : rush
they all pell-melled out of that river — Esther Forbes