Where does “graffiti” come from?
graffiti (Italian) comes from Spanish graffito, from Italian graffio, from Lombardic *krapfo, from Proto-West Germanic krappō, from Proto-Indo-European grep-, from Proto-Indo-European gremb-, from Proto-Indo-European ger- — to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind...
graffiti (Italian): plural of graffito
Definitions
- plural of graffito
Ancestry of “graffiti”, step by step
graffiti traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Spanish graffito
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | graffito | — |
| 2 | Italian | graffio | scratch; first-person singular present indicative... |
| 3 | Lombardic | *krapfo | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | krappō | a hook |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | grep- | hook; a hook, force |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | gremb- | crooked, uneven |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ger- | to turn, bend, twist, wind; to tie, bind... |