pelota

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

/ pəˈloʊ tə; Spanish pɛˈlɔ tɑ /

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noun, plural pe·lo·tas

[puh-loh-tuhz; 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.

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Origin of pelota

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

Words nearby pelota

Peloponnesus, Pelops, peloria, pelorize, pelorus, pelota, Pelotas, peloton, pelt, peltast, peltate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pelota in a sentence

Jugavan a la pelota y a un juego con unas habas como a los dados, y a otros muchos.
The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and Northern British Honduras|Thomas William Francis Gann
Smuggler and pelota player,—two things which go well together and which are essentially Basque.
Ramuntcho|Pierre Loti
Se construyeron excelentes frontones; pero de algn tiempo a esta parte el football viene suplantando a la pelota como deporte.
Heath's Modern Language Series: The Spanish American Reader|Ernesto Nelson
Pelota is a hard, fast game, and sometimes serious injuries result from playing it.
Outdoor Sports and Games|Claude H. Miller

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

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