pelota

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

/ pəˈloʊ tə; Spanish pɛˈlɔ tɑ /

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.

Nearby words

peloponnesus, pelops, peloria, pelorize, pelorus, pelota, pelotas, peloton, pelt, peltast, peltate

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for pelota

Pelota is a hard, fast game, and sometimes serious injuries result from playing it.
Outdoor Sports and Games|Claude H. Miller
Pelota is a mixture of old time shinny or hocky, la-crosse and foot-ball.
Picturesque Pala|George Wharton James
Smuggler and pelota player,—two things which go well together and which are essentially Basque.
Ramuntcho|Pierre Loti
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

There is a capital golf-course, a great bull-ring, and a pelota court.
Ranching, Sport and Travel|Thomas Carson

British Dictionary definitions for pelota

pelota

/ (pəˈlɒtə) /

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