ENGLISH
REFERENCE

graffiti

n. · v.
US //ɡɹəˈfiti// UK //ɡɹɐfˈiːti// graf·fi·ti
  1. 1 historical inscriptions (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Archaeology

    informal drawings or writing found on ancient walls by archaeologists.

    informal or spontaneous inscriptions or figure drawings found on ancient structures, as opposed to formal, official monumental inscriptions.

    Example

    Archaeologists found ancient graffiti on the walls of the Roman barracks.

    Example

    The preservation of Pompeian graffiti provides historians with invaluable insights into the daily lives and political opinions of ordinary citizens in the first century.
  2. 2 to draw on a surface (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to draw or write on a wall or building in a public place.

    to mark a surface with unauthorised drawings or inscriptions. This transitive use is less common than the noun form.

    Example

    Someone had graffitied a large heart on the side of the old bridge.

    Example

    The abandoned factory had been heavily graffitied over the years, leaving almost no original brickwork visible to the surveyors.
Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō Ancient Greek γρᾰ́φω (grắphō)bor. Italian graffire Italian graffito Italian graffitibor. English graffiti 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-.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026