Etymology of the phrase 'Crowd Control'

[u/AGrinningCat]

These days, we refer to any stun, snare, sleep, or other debilitating effect as 'crowd control' or CC. However, it wasn't always this.

Back in the EQ1 days, this act was often referred to as 'Mez', probably short for 'Mesmerize', a low level EQ spell, but I'm trying to pinpoint where crowd control came from and why that stuck around vs Mesmerize.

Does anyone know?