pelota

[ puh-loh-tuh; Spanish pe-law-tah ]

noun

, plural pe·lo·tas [p, uh, -, loh, -t, uh, z, pe-, law, -tahs].

1. a Basque and Spanish game from which jai alai was developed.
2. the game of jai alai.
3. the ball used in pelota and jai alai.

pelota

/ pəˈlɒtə /

noun

1. any of various games played in Spain, Spanish America, SW France, etc, by two players who use a basket strapped to their wrists or a wooden racket to propel a ball against a specially marked wall

Word History and Origins

Origin of pelota¹

1890–95; < Spanish: ball < Middle French pelote; pellet

Word History and Origins

Origin of pelota¹

C19: from Spanish: ball, from Old French pelote; see pellet

Example Sentences

Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered an intricately carved stone they believe was used as a scoreboard for pelota, a ball game played by the Maya hundreds of years ago.

From BBC

Among the constructions preserved to this day is the sunken ballcourt where the Maya played pelota.

From BBC

Every village had a pelota court and on some of them kids were playing in the hot sun.

From Literature

The archaeologist thinks the site would have also had seven pyramids and a court to play pelota, a game in which players used their hips to propel a rubber ball through stone hoops.

From BBC

A petition has been launched, calling for him to be excluded from the Basque pelota team of France and dropped by sponsors.

From The Guardian