What is "graffiti"

Graffiti \Graf*fi"ti\, n. pl. [It., pl. of graffito scratched]

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

2. any writings or drawings on a surface in a public place, placed there without authorization of the owner of the object on which it is written. Such graffiti are usually unwelcome, and are considered as form of vandalism.

1851, for ancient wall inscriptions found in the ruins of Pompeii, from Italian graffiti, plural of graffito "a scribbling," a diminutive formation from graffio "a scratch or scribble," from graffiare "to scribble," ultimately from Greek graphein "to scratch, draw, write" (see -graphy). Sense extended 1877 to recently made crude drawings and scribbling.

n. 1 (context chiefly uncountable English) A form of vandalism involving painting text or images in public places. 2 (context chiefly uncountable English) A form of art involving painting text or images in public places. 3 (context archaeology countable English) Informal inscriptions, figure drawings, etc., as opposed to official inscriptions. vb. To create such images

n. a rude decoration inscribed on rocks or walls [syn: graffito]

1. n. a rude decoration inscribed on rocks or walls [syn: graffiti]

2. [also: graffiti (pl)]

See graffito

Graffiti (plural of graffito: "a graffito", but "these graffiti") are writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted illicitly on a wall or other surface, often within public view. Graffiti range from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and they have existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.

In modern times, paint (particularly spray paint) and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner's permission is considered defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime.

Graffiti may also express underlying social and political messages and a whole genre of artistic expression is based upon spray paint graffiti styles. Within hip hop culture, graffiti have evolved alongside hip hop music, b-boying, and other elements. Unrelated to hip-hop graffiti, gangs use their own form of graffiti to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities.

Controversies that surround graffiti continue to create disagreement amongst city officials, law enforcement, and writers who wish to display and appreciate work in public locations. There are many different types and styles of graffiti; it is a rapidly developing art form whose value is highly contested and reviled by many authorities while also subject to protection, sometimes within the same jurisdiction.

Graffiti was a Canadian music magazine in the 1980s. The magazine's primary focus was on Canadian and international alternative music, although it also covered fashion and film. Alastair Sutherland was one of the editors-in-chief of the magazine.

In 1985, the magazine distributed the ballots for the then-new CASBY Awards.

Graffiti is a computer program which makes conjectures in various subfields of mathematics (particularly graph theory) and chemistry, but can be adapted to other fields. It was written by Siemion Fajtlowicz at the University of Houston. Research on conjectures produced by Graffiti has led to over 60 publications by other mathematicians.

Graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place.

Graffiti may also refer to:

"Graffiti" was the third single released by Maxïmo Park, taken from their first album A Certain Trigger. It was released on 2 May 2005, and reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was awarded 'Lyric of the year' on BBC 6 Music for lyrics written by guitarist Duncan Lloyd

Graffiti is the fifth studio album by Japanese band Tokio. It was released on April 1, 1998. The album reached ninth place on the Oricon weekly chart and charted for three weeks.

Graffiti is an essentially single-stroke shorthand handwriting recognition system used in PDAs based on the Palm OS. Graffiti was originally written by Palm, Inc. as the recognition system for GEOS-based devices such as HP's OmniGo 100 and 120 or the Magic Cap-line and was available as an alternate recognition system for the Apple Newton MessagePad, when NewtonOS 1.0 couldn't recognize handwriting very well. Graffiti also runs on the Windows Mobile platform, where it is called "Block Recognizer", and on the Symbian UIQ platform as the default recognizer and was available for Casio's Zoomer PDA.

The software is based primarily on a neography of upper-case characters that can be drawn blindly with a stylus on a touch-sensitive panel. Since the user typically cannot see the character as it is being drawn, complexities have been removed from four of the most difficult letters. "A'" "F", "K" and "T" all are drawn without any need to match up a cross-stroke.

"Graffiti" is the fortieth single of Japanese solo artist Gackt, released on November 30, 2011. It's the opening song for the anime Sket Dance.

Graffiti is the third studio album by American recording artist Chris Brown. It was released on December 7, 2009, by Jive Records. The album serves as a follow-up to his previous album Exclusive (2007). Recording sessions took place from 2008 to 2009, with these several record producers, including Polow da Don, Swizz Beatz, The Runners and Brian Kennedy, among others. Primarily an R&B and pop outing, Graffiti incorporates elements of hip hop music with synthesizers. The album debuted at number 7 on the US Billboard 200, selling 102,489 copies in its first week. To date, "Graffiti" has sold 360,000 copies in the United States. The album became his third consecutive top-ten debut in the United States following Exclusive in 2007, while producing two singles that has achieved moderate chart success.

Upon its release, Graffiti received generally negative reviews from most music critics. Graffiti was nominated for two Grammy Awards; including one for the Best Contemporary R&B Album and the other for the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for this track, "Take My Time" featuring Tank.