GRAFFITI


Meaning of GRAFFITI in English

I. grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē, gra-, grä- transitive verb

( -tied ; -ti·ing -(ˌ)tē-iŋ ; also -ting -ˈfē-tiŋ)

Date: 1964

: to draw graffiti on : to deface with graffiti

graffiti ed walls

II. noun

Etymology: Italian, plural of graffito

Date: 1945

: usually unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface

Usage:

Graffiti , which also serves as the plural of graffito , is commonly used as a singular mass noun

graffiti …was depressing people who rode the subways — New Yorker

graffiti comes in various styles — S. K. Oberbeck

This use is well established although not yet as well established as the mass-noun use of data. Use of graffiti as a singular count noun is still quite rare and is not standard.

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.