tattoo

¹

[ ta-too ]

noun

, plural tat·toos.

1. a signal on a drum, bugle, or trumpet at night, for soldiers or sailors to go to their quarters.
2. a knocking or strong pulsation:

   My heart beat a tattoo on my ribs.

3. British. an outdoor military pageant or display.

tattoo

²

[ ta-too ]

noun

, plural tat·toos.

1. the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments.
2. a pattern, picture, legend, etc., so made.

verb (used with object)

, tat·tooed, tat·too·ing.

1. to mark (the skin) with tattoos.
2. to put (tattoos) on the skin.

tattoo

¹

/ tæˈtuː /

verb

1. to make (pictures or designs) on (the skin) by pricking and staining with indelible colours

noun

1. a design made by this process
2. the practice of tattooing

tattoo

²

/ tæˈtuː /

noun

1. (formerly) a signal by drum or bugle ordering the military to return to their quarters
2. a military display or pageant, usually at night
3. any similar beating on a drum, etc

Derived Forms

• tatˈtooer, noun

Other Words From

• tat·tooer tat·tooist noun
• untat·tooed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of tattoo¹

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier taptoo, from Dutch taptoe, literally, “shut tap,” from tap “spigot, tap” + toe “closed, shut”; cognate with tap ²( def ), to ( def )

Origin of tattoo²

First recorded in 1760–70; from Marquesan tatu; replacing tattow, from Tahitian tatau

Word History and Origins

Origin of tattoo¹

C18: from Tahitian tatau

Origin of tattoo²

C17: from Dutch taptoe, from the command tap toe! turn off the taps! from tap tap of a barrel + toe to shut

Example Sentences

But as he bent down to stuff bills from a haul of more than $166,000 into bags, his hoodie rode up — exposing a star tattoo on his lower back.

From Los Angeles Times

Prince Harry has appeared in a knockabout comedy sketch about getting a tattoo, as he promotes the next round of his Invictus Games.

From BBC

She has a “knife” tattoo on her forearm and freckles on her face.

From Los Angeles Times

A former member of the Minnesota National Guard, he has a tattoo on his bicep reading “Deus Vult”, a latin phrase meaning “God wills it”, a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages.

From BBC

Then there’s the Fox News personality, Pete Hegseth, who doesn’t wash his hands and maybe has white nationalist symbols tattooed all over his body, that Trump picked to lead the Department of Defense.

From Salon

Related Words

• emblem
• symbol