late Middle English graff, from Old French grafe, via Latin from Greek graphion 'stylus, writing implement' (with reference to the tapered tip of the scion), from graphein 'write'. The final -t is typical of phonetic confusion between -f and -ft at the end of words; compare with tuftmid 19th cent.: perhaps related to the phrase spade's graft 'the amount of earth that one stroke of a spade will move', based on Old Norse grǫftr 'digging'mid 19th cent.: of unknown origin