graffiti
UK /ɡɹəˈfiː.ti/ · US /ɡɹəˈfi.ti/ noun, verb
Also a form of graffito
Forms graffitis graffitiing graffitied graffito
- noun (chiefly uncountable) Drawings or words drawn on a surface in a public place, usually made without authorization. “The underpass is a popular place for graffiti artists.”
- noun (archaeology, countable) Informal inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., as opposed to official inscriptions.
- verb (transitive) To mark a surface with such images.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian graffiti, from graffito, from graffire, borrowed from Ancient Greek γρᾰ́φω (grắphō, “to write”), from Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō, from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ-.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs, or at Pompeii.
Etymology [It., pl. of graffito scratched]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “graffiti”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details