pelota (Spanish)
Where does "pelota" come from?
The Spanish word 'pelota' traces its roots back to the Latin 'pila,' a term originally used to describe a mortar for crushing grain. Over time, the word traveled through Occitan and Old French before settling into Spanish to describe a simple ball. Beyond its literal meaning, it has also evolved to describe various ball games and, colloquially, anatomical parts.
Full etymology tree
- pelota (Spanish), 'ball (a round or ellipsoidal object)'
- inherited pelota (Old French/Occitan)
- inherited pīla (Latin), 'mortar (used with a pestle)'
- inherited *pistlā (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *pis-tlo- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *peys- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to grind, to crush'
- inherited *pis-tlo- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *pistlā (Proto-Italic)
- inherited pīla (Latin), 'mortar (used with a pestle)'
- inherited pelota (Old French/Occitan)
Ancestors
- pila (Latin)
Descendants and derived words
- apelotar (Spanish)
- en pelotas (Spanish)
- estar hasta las pelotas (Spanish)
- hacer la pelota (Spanish)
- hecho pelota (Spanish)
- hinchapelotas (Spanish)
- hinchapelotas (Spanish)
- la pelota está en el tejado (Spanish)
- la pelota está en el tejado de alguien (Spanish)
- pelota de playa (Spanish)
- pelota paleta (Spanish)
- pelota vasca (Spanish)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris