tattoo

[ ta-too ]

See synonyms for tattoo on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of tattoo

First recorded in 1570–80; earlier taptoo, from Dutch taptoe, literally, “shut tap,” from tap “spigot, tap” + toe “closed, shut”; cognate with tap², to

Other definitions for tattoo (2 of 2)

tattoo²

[ ta-too ]

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

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

Other words from tattoo

tat·too·er, tat·too·ist, noun
un·tat·tooed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tattoo in a sentence

The text amply surveys the various cultural exponents of tattooing accompanied by excellent images.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014 | Robert Birnbaum | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Still, perpetuating the Auschwitz tattooing offends me as a humanist, a Jew and a Zionist.
Never Forget, But Forget The Auschwitz Tattoos | Gil Troy | October 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Among themselves, the oldest people had the greatest quantity of tattooing, and the younger class less.
A Narrative of the Shipwreck, Captivity and Sufferings of Horace Holden and Benj. H. Nute | Horace Holden
They had the curious tattooing on their cheeks, noses and foreheads, so that their appearance was repellent.
Adrift on the Pacific | Edward S. Ellis
Under this the question of tattooing and its removal comes in.
Old-Time Makers of Medicine | James J. Walsh

Throughout these regions this practice has universally taken the form of prick tattooing.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm Wundt
This tattooing is the only art whose highest perfection is reached at the beginning of culture.
Elements of Folk Psychology | Wilhelm Wundt

British Dictionary definitions for tattoo (1 of 2)

tattoo¹

/ (tæˈtuː) /

nounplural -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

Origin of 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

/ (tæˈtuː) /

verb-toos, -tooing or -tooed

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

nounplural -toos

a design made by this process
the practice of tattooing

Origin of tattoo

C18: from Tahitian tatau

Derived forms of tattoo

tattooer or tattooist, noun

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

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