pelota

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

noun, plural pe·lo·tas

[puh-loh-tuh z; Spanish pe-law-tahs] /pəˈloʊ təz; Spanish pɛˈlɔ tɑs/.

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

Origin of pelota

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pelota

Historical Examples of pelota

There is a capital golf-course, a great bull-ring, and a pelota court.
Ranching, Sport and Travel
Thomas Carson
The other feature is the court or fronton where is played the jeu de paume, or, to give it its Basque nomenclature, pelota.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Navarre and the Basque Provinces
Francis Miltoun
Pelota is a mixture of old time shinny or hocky, la-crosse and foot-ball.
Picturesque Pala
George Wharton James
The villages are much devoted to Pelota; and few are too poor to possess some species of primitive court.
Northern Spain
Edgar T. A. Wigram
We, the undersigned, are the recognized champions of pelota Basque.
Castles and Chateaux of Old Navarre and the Basque Provinces
Francis Miltoun

British Dictionary definitions for pelota

pelota

noun

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 Origin for pelota

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012