runic •\ˈrü-nik\• adjective : relating to or consisting of an ancient Germanic alphabet used in Scandinavia from the 3rd century to the Middle Ages The word runic has appeared in eight New York Times articles in the past year, including on Jan. 29 in "At War With São Paulo's Establishment, Black Paint in Hand" by Simon Romero: SÃO PAULO, Brazil - This mega-city's authorities have waged war for years against what they call "visual pollution," banning billboard advertising, demolishing abandoned skyscrapers and planning to raze concrete eyesores like the elevated highway known as the Big Worm. But the battle to clean up the sprawling cityscape has become intertwined with a deeper social conflict between Brazil's haves and have-nots, where the angry and disenfranchised lash out in a form of expression unrivaled in other cities. ... Mr. Augustaitiz is part of a subculture that executes a form of graffiti described by one scholar as an "alphabet designed for urban invasion." It nearly envelops some of São Paulo's government buildings, residential high-rises, even public monuments, with lettering eerily reminiscent of Scandinavia's ancient runic writing. Learn more about the word "runic" and see usage examples across a range of subjects on the Vocabulary dictionary.