GRAFFITI

graffito, graffiti

(noun) a rude decoration inscribed on rocks or walls

GRAFFITO

graffito, graffiti

(noun) a rude decoration inscribed on rocks or walls

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

graffiti (usually uncountable, plural graffiti)

(chiefly, uncountable) Drawings or words drawn on a surface in a public place, usually made without authorization.

(archaeology, countable) Informal inscriptions, figure drawings, etc, as opposed to official inscriptions.

Usage notes

• There is no universal singular form to denote a single piece of graffiti. In archaeology, and occasionally elsewhere, graffito is used, reflecting the Italian singular. There is some non-standard usage of graffitus, as though it were Latin (compare focus, plural foci); graffitum, also Latin sounding (though this would technically form the plural *graffita; cf. millennium, plural millennia); and graffiti itself, unmodified.

Synonyms

• (archaeology): cave painting; epigraphy

Verb

graffiti (third-person singular simple present graffitis, present participle graffitiing, simple past and past participle graffitied)

(transitive) To mark a surface with such images.

Source: Wiktionary


Graf*fi"ti, n. pl. Etym: [It., pl. of graffito scratched]

Definition: Inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., found on the walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins, as in the Catacombs, or at Pompeii.

GRAFFITO

Graf*fi"to, n. [It., fr. graffio a scratching.] (Art)

Definition: Production of decorative designs by scratching them through a surface of layer plaster, glazing, etc., revealing a different- colored ground; also, pottery or ware so decorated; -- chiefly used attributively.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

7 November 2024

ERASE

(verb) remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing; “Please erase the formula on the blackboard--it is wrong!”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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