pelota

American  

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

noun

pelotas plural

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• pelotas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pelota

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

Example Sentences

Sasaki se dio cuenta de que antes era más explosivo antes de apoyar el pie de apoyo y lanzar la pelota.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

A carved stone disc found at a different site in Chiapas suggests the size of the pelota ball in the 6th Century and how players propelled it with their hips.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2022

“Constantemente solo tirando la pelota con confianza y simplemente dejándola volar”, dijo Davis.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2020

Presionando la pelota cada vez que Real trata de ingresar a la media cancha.

From The Guardian • May 28, 2016

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