pelota

American  

[puh-loh-tuh, pe-law-tah] / pəˈloʊ tə, pɛˈlɔ tɑ /

noun

plural

pelotas

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.

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pelota British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of pelota

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

Example Sentences

Some Maya rulers may have been incinerated and their ashes mixed with rubber to make the balls used in the game of pelota, an archaeologist says.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2022

Hay ciertos chicos que están ahí y que realmente pueden lanzar, manipular la pelota de béisbol y el giro.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2021

"Hay jugadores, como Zidane, que siempre le encuentran a la pelota la redondez", dijo una vez el Negro Fontanarrosa.

From The Guardian • Dec. 17, 2020

The old ballgame: In the San Fernando Valley, a Mexican sport — pelota mixteca — is keeping a language alive.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2018

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

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway