— graffitist , n.
/greuh fee"tee/ , n.
1. pl. of graffito .
2. ( used with a pl. v. ) markings, as initials, slogans, or drawings, written, spray-painted, or sketched on a sidewalk, wall of a building or public restroom, or the like: These graffiti are evidence of the neighborhood's decline.
3. ( used with a sing. v. ) such markings as a whole or as constituting a particular group: Not much graffiti appears around here these days.
[ 1850-55; graffito incised inscription or design, deriv. with -ito -ITE 2 of graffiare to scratch, perh. influenced by presumed L * graphire to write; both prob. deriv. of L graphium stylus grapheîon; cf. GRAPHIC, GRAPHO-, GRAFT 1 ]
Usage . In formal speech and writing GRAFFITI takes a plural verb. In less formal contexts it is sometimes considered a mass noun and is used with a singular verb. The singular GRAFFITO is found mostly in archaeological and other technical writing.