graffiti

See also: Graffiti

English

Graffiti on the Berlin Wall, November 1989

Alternative forms

• graffito

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian graffiti.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈfiːti/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡɹəˈfiti/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːti

Noun

graffiti (usually uncountable, plural graffiti)

1. (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.

   The city council spends thousands of pounds removing graffiti from public buildings.

   • 2021 October 20, “Network News: NR and NH tackle graffiti vandalism”, in RAIL, number 942, page 9:

     The removal of unsightly graffiti on the sides of railway bridges spanning major roads in the North West is to be handed over to National Highways, to speed up the job.

2. (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; compare millennium, plural millennia); and graffiti itself, unmodified.

Synonyms

• (archaeology): cave painting; epigraphy

Derived terms

• cybergraffiti
• digital graffiti
• graffiti bomber
• reverse graffiti

 

Translations

drawings on a surface

• Belarusian: графі́ці pl (hrafíci)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 塗鴉／涂鸦 (zh) (túyā)

• Danish: graffiti (da) c
• Dutch: graffiti (nl)
• Esperanto: murskribaĉo
• Finnish: graffiti (fi), töhrintä
• French: graffiti (fr) m, graff (fr) m
• Galician: graffiti m pl, pintada f
• German: Graffito (de) m or n, Graffiti (de) m pl or n pl
• Icelandic: veggjakrot n
• Irish: graifítí m
• Italian: graffitismo (it) m
• Japanese: 落書き (ja) (らくがき, rakugaki), グラフィティ (gurafiti)
• Korean: 그래피티 (geuraepiti)
• Macedonian: графи́ти m pl (grafíti)
• Maori: karawhiti
• Marathi: ग्राफिटी f (grāphiṭī)
• Polish: graffiti (pl) m
• Portuguese: grafite (pt) m, pichação (pt), grafito m, grafíti m
• Russian: граффи́ти (ru) n (graffíti)
• Serbo-Croatian: графити m pl, grafiti (sh) m pl
• Slovak: grafit m, grafity m pl
• Spanish: grafiti (es)
• Swedish: graffiti (sv) c, klotter (sv) n
• Turkish: grafiti (tr)
• Ukrainian: графі́ті (uk) pl (hrafíti)
• Yiddish: וואַנט־שמירעכצן‎‎ pl (vant-shmirekhtsn‎), גראַפֿיטי‎ pl (grafiti), וואַנט־קאַטאָוועסן‎‎ pl (vant-katovesn‎)

See also

• sgraffito

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To mark a surface with such images.

Translations

create graffiti

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 漆鴉／漆鸦 (qīyā)

• Finnish: tehdä graffiti; töhriä (fi)
• Portuguese: pichar (pt), grafitar
• Spanish: grafitar
• Swedish: måla graffiti, klottra (sv) (when considered vandalism), bomba (sv) (slang, cover in graffiti, tags, etc.)
• Turkish: grafiti yapmak

See also

• graffiti art
• graffiti artist
• hip-hop
• street art
• tagging

Further reading

• graffiti on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• graffiti on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Danish

Etymology

From Italian graffiti, plural of graffito.

Noun

graffiti c (singular definite graffitien, plural indefinite graffiti)

1. graffiti

Dutch

Etymology

From Italian graffiti, plural of graffito.

Noun

graffiti m (plural graffiti or graffiti's)

1. graffiti

Finnish

Etymology

From Italian graffiti.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡrɑfːiti/, [ˈɡrɑ̝fːit̪i]
• Rhymes: -ɑfːiti
• Syllabification^(key): graf‧fi‧ti

Noun

graffiti

1. graffiti

Declension

Inflection of graffiti (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		graffiti	graffitit
genitive		graffitin	graffitien
partitive		graffitia	graffiteja
illative		graffitiin	graffiteihin
		singular	plural
nominative		graffiti	graffitit
accusative	nom.	graffiti	graffitit
	gen.	graffitin
genitive		graffitin	graffitien
partitive		graffitia	graffiteja
inessive		graffitissa	graffiteissa
elative		graffitista	graffiteista
illative		graffitiin	graffiteihin
adessive		graffitilla	graffiteilla
ablative		graffitilta	graffiteilta
allative		graffitille	graffiteille
essive		graffitina	graffiteina
translative		graffitiksi	graffiteiksi
abessive		graffititta	graffiteitta
instructive		—	graffitein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of graffiti (type risti)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative graffitini graffitini accusative nom. graffitini graffitini gen. graffitini genitive graffitini graffitieni partitive graffitiani graffitejani inessive graffitissani graffiteissani elative graffitistani graffiteistani illative graffitiini graffiteihini adessive graffitillani graffiteillani ablative graffitiltani graffiteiltani allative graffitilleni graffiteilleni essive graffitinani graffiteinani translative graffitikseni graffiteikseni abessive graffitittani graffiteittani instructive — — comitative — graffiteineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative graffitisi graffitisi accusative nom. graffitisi graffitisi gen. graffitisi genitive graffitisi graffitiesi partitive graffitiasi graffitejasi inessive graffitissasi graffiteissasi elative graffitistasi graffiteistasi illative graffitiisi graffiteihisi adessive graffitillasi graffiteillasi ablative graffitiltasi graffiteiltasi allative graffitillesi graffiteillesi essive graffitinasi graffiteinasi translative graffitiksesi graffiteiksesi abessive graffitittasi graffiteittasi instructive — — comitative — graffiteinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative graffitimme graffitimme accusative nom. graffitimme graffitimme gen. graffitimme genitive graffitimme graffitiemme partitive graffitiamme graffitejamme inessive graffitissamme graffiteissamme elative graffitistamme graffiteistamme illative graffitiimme graffiteihimme adessive graffitillamme graffiteillamme ablative graffitiltamme graffiteiltamme allative graffitillemme graffiteillemme essive graffitinamme graffiteinamme translative graffitiksemme graffiteiksemme abessive graffitittamme graffiteittamme instructive — — comitative — graffiteinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative graffitinne graffitinne accusative nom. graffitinne graffitinne gen. graffitinne genitive graffitinne graffitienne partitive graffitianne graffitejanne inessive graffitissanne graffiteissanne elative graffitistanne graffiteistanne illative graffitiinne graffiteihinne adessive graffitillanne graffiteillanne ablative graffitiltanne graffiteiltanne allative graffitillenne graffiteillenne essive graffitinanne graffiteinanne translative graffitiksenne graffiteiksenne abessive graffitittanne graffiteittanne instructive — — comitative — graffiteinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative graffitinsa graffitinsa accusative nom. graffitinsa graffitinsa gen. graffitinsa genitive graffitinsa graffitiensa partitive graffitiaan graffitiansa graffitejaan graffitejansa inessive graffitissaan graffitissansa graffiteissaan graffiteissansa elative graffitistaan graffitistansa graffiteistaan graffiteistansa illative graffitiinsa graffiteihinsa adessive graffitillaan graffitillansa graffiteillaan graffiteillansa ablative graffitiltaan graffitiltansa graffiteiltaan graffiteiltansa allative graffitilleen graffitillensa graffiteilleen graffiteillensa essive graffitinaan graffitinansa graffiteinaan graffiteinansa translative graffitikseen graffitiksensa graffiteikseen graffiteiksensa abessive graffitittaan graffitittansa graffiteittaan graffiteittansa instructive — — comitative — graffiteineen graffiteinensa

Further reading

• “graffiti”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (online dictionary, continuously updated, in Finnish), Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

graffiti m (uncountable)

1. graffiti

Noun

graffiti m (plural graffitis)

1. graffito

Further reading

• “graffiti”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Noun

graffiti m pl

1. plural of graffito

Participle

graffiti m pl

1. masculine plural of graffito

Anagrams

• griffati

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Italian graffiti, plural of graffito.

Pronunciation

Audio (dialect: Oslo)

(file)

Noun

graffiti m (definite singular graffitien, indefinite plural graffitier, definite plural graffitiene)

1. graffiti

References

• “graffiti” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Italian graffiti, plural of graffito.

Noun

graffiti m (definite singular graffitien, indefinite plural graffitiar, definite plural graffitiane)

1. graffiti

References

• “graffiti” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Internationalism; compare English graffiti, French graffiti, German Graffiti, ultimately from Italian graffiti.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrafˈfi.ti/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iti
• Syllabification: graf‧fi‧ti

Noun

graffiti n (indeclinable)

1. graffiti (drawings on a surface)
2. (archaeology) graffiti (informal inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., as opposed to official inscriptions)

Related terms

nouns

• grafficiarz
• graffitoman

 

Further reading

• graffiti in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• graffiti in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian graffito.

Noun

graffiti n (uncountable)

1. graffiti

Declension

declension of graffiti (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) graffiti	graffitiul
genitive/dative	(unui) graffiti	graffitiului
vocative	graffitiule

Spanish

Alternative forms

• grafiti

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Italian graffiti.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɾaˈfiti/ [ɡɾaˈfi.t̪i]
• Rhymes: -iti
• Syllabification: graf‧fi‧ti

Noun

graffiti m (plural graffitis)

1. graffiti

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Swedish

Noun

graffiti c

1. graffiti (whether authorized or not)
2. (archaeology) graffiti

Declension

Declension of graffiti
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	graffiti	graffitin	—	—
Genitive	graffitis	graffitins	—	—

Synonyms

• klotter (usually only when considered vandalism)

Derived terms

• graffitikonstnär (“graffiti artist”)

References

• graffiti in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• graffiti in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)