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; pellet

Example Sentences

The man with the snakes slithering around his head also appears to be wearing the protective gear typical of pelota players.

From BBC

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

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

From Literature

The archaeologist thinks the site would have also had seven pyramids and a court to play pelota, a game in which players used their hips to propel a rubber ball through stone hoops.

From BBC

A petition has been launched, calling for him to be excluded from the Basque pelota team of France and dropped by sponsors.

From The Guardian