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tattoo
1[ ta-too ]
/ tĂŠËtu /
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Definition of tattoo
noun, plural tat·toos.
a signal on a drum, bugle, or trumpet at night, for soldiers or sailors to go to their quarters.
a knocking or strong pulsation: My heart beat a tattoo on my ribs.
British. an outdoor military pageant or display.
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Origin of tattoo
11570â80; earlier taptoo<Dutch taptoe literally, the tap(room) is to (i.e., shut)
Words nearby tattoo
tatting, tattle, tattler, tattletale, tattletale gray, tattoo, tattva, tat tvam asi, tatty, Tatum, tau
Other definitions for tattoo (2 of 2)
tattoo2
[ ta-too ]
/ tĂŠËtu /
noun, plural tat·toos.
the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments.
a pattern, picture, legend, etc., so made.
verb (used with object), tat·tooed, tat·too·ing.
to mark (the skin) with tattoos.
to put (tattoos) on the skin.
Origin of tattoo
21760â70; <Marquesan tatu; replacing tattow<Tahitian tatau
OTHER WORDS FROM tattoo
tat·too·er, tat·too·ist, nounun·tat·tooed, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use tattoo in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for tattoo (1 of 2)
tattoo1
/ (tĂŠËtuË) /
noun plural -toos
(formerly) a signal by drum or bugle ordering the military to return to their quarters
a military display or pageant, usually at night
any similar beating on a drum, etc
Word Origin for tattoo
C17: from Dutch taptoe, from the command tap toe! turn off the taps! from tap tap of a barrel + toe to shut
British Dictionary definitions for tattoo (2 of 2)
tattoo2
/ (tĂŠËtuË) /
verb -toos, -tooing or -tooed
to make (pictures or designs) on (the skin) by pricking and staining with indelible colours
noun plural -toos
a design made by this process
the practice of tattooing
Derived forms of tattoo
tattooer or tattooist, nounWord Origin for tattoo
C18: from Tahitian tatau
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for tattoo
tattoo
[ tÄ-tĆĆâČ ]
n. pl. tatâątoos
A permanent mark or design made on the skin by a process of pricking and ingraining an indelible pigment or by raising scars.
v.
To mark the skin with a tattoo.
To form a tattoo on the skin.
The American HeritageÂź Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.