peilaaja

Peilaaja is a term found in Estonian references that historically referred to a person who worked with mirrors, particularly in the context of installation, adjustment, or finishing of mirror panels in furniture or interiors. The word is formed from peil, meaning mirror, and the agentive suffix -aja, which in Estonian commonly denotes a person performing a specific action. In contemporary standard language, peilaaja is not a common everyday term and is mainly encountered in older trade records, inventories, or glossaries related to craftsmanship.

Etymology and usage context are central to understanding peilaaja. The compound implies practical involvement with mirrors rather than design or manufacture of glass itself. In historical sources, a peilaaja might have been responsible for fitting, aligning, trimming, or finishing mirrors as part of cabinet-making, room fittings, or decorative interiors. Because the word is not widely used today, its precise scope can vary between texts, and it is sometimes contrasted with terms referring to more specialized mirror-related crafts.

Modern language tends to replace peilaaja with more specific occupational labels or descriptive phrases such as peili paigaldaja (mirror installer) or peilglaasist paiga seadja (adjuster of reflective glass), depending on the exact duties involved. As a result, peilaaja remains primarily of historical interest, illustrating how interior fitting trades were described in past Estonian glossaries and records rather than a living professional title.

See also: peil, peili, peili paigaldaja.