tattoo

Meanings

1. 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. 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. 3
   noun

   A steady, repeated tapping sound, like a drumbeat.

   His fingers beat a nervous tattoo on the table.

Simplified etymology

Tattoo has two unrelated origins. The military signal recalling soldiers to quarters was originally written tap-too and comes from Dutch doe den tap toe, literally “close the tap,” a command ending the evening’s drinking. Tattoo for a design marked on the skin entered English in the 18th century from Polynesian languages and was first recorded in English in Captain Cook’s journals.

From earlier tap-to, borrowed from Dutch taptoe, from tap (“tap; faucet on a cask”) + toe (“to; shut”). More at tap, to.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary