tattoo B2 Topic:Time US /tæˈtuː/ UK [tʰæˈtʰuː] See IPA manual Freq #3393 Meanings 1 noun A permanent picture or design made on the skin using ink and a needle. He has a small tattoo of a bird on his wrist. 2 verb To make a permanent picture or design on someone's skin with ink and a needle. She had an anchor tattooed on her arm. 3 noun A steady, repeated tapping sound, like a drumbeat. His fingers beat a nervous tattoo on the table. Thesaurus Word family Forms tattooedtattooingtattoos Derived forms tantootattattvattoo Etymology AI details From earlier tap-to, borrowed from Dutch taptoe, from tap (“tap; faucet on a cask”) + toe (“to; shut”). More at tap, to. taptoe Dutch View etymology graph -> Topics Time External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # tattoo **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /tæˈtuː/ **IPA (UK):** [tʰæˈtʰuː] **Frequency rank:** 3393 ## Meanings 1. A permanent picture or design made on the skin using ink and a needle. 2. To make a permanent picture or design on someone's skin with ink and a needle. 3. A steady, repeated tapping sound, like a drumbeat. ## Examples - He has a small tattoo of a bird on his wrist. - She had an anchor tattooed on her arm. - His fingers beat a nervous tattoo on the table. ## Derived Forms - tantoo - tat - tatt - vattoo ## Roots and Affixes - Root: taptoe ## Etymology From earlier tap-to, borrowed from Dutch taptoe, from tap (“tap; faucet on a cask”) + toe (“to; shut”). More at tap, to. ## AI Etymology Tattoo is from earlier tap-to, borrowed from Dutch taptoe, from tap (“tap; faucet on a cask”) + toe (“to; shut”). In present-day use, it can mean a permanent picture or design made on the skin using ink and a needle, or to make a permanent picture or design on someone's skin with ink and a needle. Derived formations include tantoo, tat, tatt, vattoo. ## Topics - Time markdown