[boh-luh] 
| bo·la (bō'lə) n. A rope with weights attached, used especially in South America to catch cattle or game by entangling their legs. [From American Spanish bolas, pl. of Spanish bola, ball, probably from Latin bulla.] |
bola
(Spanish: "balls"; from boleadoras), South American Indian weapon, primarily used for hunting, consisting of stone balls, usually in a group of three, attached to long, slender ropes. In hunting rhea, guanaco, and other animals in open country, the bola is whirled like a sling, then thrown parallel to the ground to entwine the quarry's legs. Bolas were also used by the gauchos of Argentina and Uruguay to catch cattle.
Learn more about bola with a free trial on Britannica.com.
lə