pelota(n = noun.act) jai alai - a Basque or Spanish game played in a court with a ball and a wickerwork racket;
is a kind of court game

   A Basque, Spanish, and Spanish-American game played in a court, in which a ball is struck with a wickerwork racket. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

pelota, n. a Basque or Spanish game played in a walled court with a ball and basket-like rackets attached to the hand.

Etymology:
Sp., = ball, augment. of pella f. L pila