jai alai

American  

[hahy lahy, hahy uh-lahy, hahy uh-lahy] / ˈhaɪ ˌlaɪ, ˈhaɪ əˌlaɪ, ˌhaɪ əˈlaɪ /

noun

1. a game resembling handball, played on a three-walled court between two, four, or six players who are equipped with a long, curved wicker basket, or cesta, strapped to the wrist for catching and throwing a small, hard ball against the front wall.

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jai alai British  

/ ˌhaɪ əˈlaɪ, ˈhaɪ əˌlaɪ, ˈhaɪ ˈlaɪ /

noun

1. a version of pelota played by two or four players

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Etymology

Origin of jai alai

1905–10; < Spanish < Basque, equivalent to jai game + alai merry

Example Sentences

The same decoupling happened to dog racing, harness racing, quarter-horse racing and jai alai a few years ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2025

People think soccer is the best, but I preferred rugby, hockey, jai alai.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2023

"This is the only place where you can make a living playing jai alai," Goitiandia said, wiping his brow after winning an exhausting round-robin doubles match.

From Fox News • Mar. 28, 2022

She and her brother Manuel were born in Cuba before coming to Miami, where their father was a professional jai alai player.

From New York Times • Jul. 8, 2021

But in the Basque country you'd see all the men and boys in the village playing jai alai back of the church, using the high stone wall as their court.

From Getting to know Spain by Lambo, Don