pilarista

Pilarista is a term used in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking contexts to describe several related concepts. In religious contexts, it most commonly refers to a devotee or member of a confraternity associated with the veneration of Our Lady of the Pilar (Nuestra Señora del Pilar), a Marian devotion anchored in Zaragoza, Spain. Pilaristas may participate in pilgrimages, processions, and feast-day activities connected to the Pilar cult.

Historically, in some regional or archaic uses, pilarista described a worker who specialized in pillars or columns, deriving from pilar, pillar, with the agent suffix -ista. In modern Spanish, this construction is rare and the term for pillar-related trades has more common forms such as cantero or albañil.

The term can also function as an informal demonym for residents of places named Pilar, although the actual demonyms vary by locality and language. Because of its multiple senses, context is needed to determine the intended meaning.

Etymology: from pilar “pillar” + -ista, a suffix forming agent nouns.