Where does “pelota” come from?
pelota (Portuguese) comes from Old French pelote, from Vulgar Latin pilotta, from Latin pila, from Latin pīlus, from Latin pīlum, from Proto-Italic pistlom, from Proto-Indo-European pis-tlo-, from Proto-Indo-European peys- — to grind, to crush.
pelota (Portuguese): a small ball or sphere
Ancestry of “pelota”, step by step