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Pila

Definition of Pila

In reggaeton street slang pila means: a lot, to have liveliness, to be smart, awake, intelligent.

It is also understood as a set of things arranged on top of each other as a pillar or column.

Another meaning is associated with an electric battery, electric accumulator or simply battery or accumulator.

SYNONYMS FOR Pila

  1. A lot, a large quantity of a thing
  2. Warning, call for attention
  3. Accumulation or heap
  4. Fountain, trough

ORIGIN OF Pila

The word pila comes from the Latin pila. There is a second original word which is pīla which is also with long i which meant in Latin “mortar” coming from “pis-la”, with an old suffix “la”.

Its root derives from the verb “pinsere” which means to husk, crush or grind the grain of the cereal.
However, the plural of the word – i.e. “batteries” – also denotes a small electric charger.

Although there are different meanings for the plural “pilas”, pila also refers to piles, to when there are many things, be they objects or even people, animals, however it has more functions.

In the genre of trap, rap and reggaeton there are certain words that are common and function as a code, which only connoisseurs understand. Pilas in this street language means “A lot”.

CURIOSITIES OF Pila

This is the curious case of “pastis” -which are also known as pilas, from the English pills- which are usually a compound commonly called ecstasy or MDMA that acts as a hallucinogen and stimulant at the same time, generating a feeling of euphoria and sensory distortion.

Reggaeton and trap is street music, and many of the artists come from certain violent environments where drugs and problems are a daily occurrence. The language they use is replete with this coded lexicon.