The word pelota refers, in its original sense, to the ball or spherical shape, generally used for sports or recreation.
In countries such as Spain, pelota is a colloquial expression used to denote that a person says nice things to another person to get his favor, while in Colombia, pelota refers to a person with little intellectual capacity or who acts naively or foolishly.
In Venezuela, the phrase “está en pelota or pelotas” means that a person is without clothes, is naked. As we can see, there are many connotations of this word.
SYNONYMS FOR Pelota
- Ball
- Sphere
- Flatterer
- Naked
- Flatterer
- Ball
- Servile
- Foolish
- Brutal
- Naive
- Innocent
ORIGIN OF Pelota
The word pelota comes from the Latin pilota or pila which refers to a ball that, in its colloquial use in the modern world, has been extended to sport and other forms.
It also comes from the use of hair or body hair, since in ancient times, the balls were formed inside by animal hairs, thus building their soft interior.
The other meanings of the word ball already come, not from etymology, but from many experiences and appreciations of culture that never cease to surprise.
CURIOSITIES OF Pelota
Pelota, in its term of flatterer, comes according to popular sayings from the profession of prostitution, hence it also acquires the meaning of naked.
In pelotas they sought out their clients by flattering them and in this way they were able to have a night with them.
Little by little the word pelota extended to any person who obtained the favor of a third party by means of pretty words. In the field of sports, balls today come in different sizes and shapes.