tattoo en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- [tʰaˈtʰʉw] (British, Southern, Standard)
- [t(ʰ)aˈtʰʉː] (Canada)
- [tʰæˈɾʉw] (Australia)
- /təˈtu/ (Canada)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /təˈtuː/ (UK)
- [tʰæˈtʰʉw] (Australia)
- [tʰæˈtʰuː] ~ [tʰæˈtʰʉw] (General-American)
- [tətːˈʉː] (Canada)
- [tʰæˈtʰʊw] (Received-Pronunciation)
- [tʰæˈtʰuː] (Received-Pronunciation)
- /tæˈtu/ (General-American)
- /tæˈtu/ (Canada)
- /tæˈtuː/ (UK)
- /tæˈtʉː/ (Australia)
- [tʰaʔʉw] (British, Southern, Standard)
- (US) audio
- [tɐˈɾ̥uː] (Canada)
Etymology
From earlier tattaow, tattow, a borrowing from a Polynesian language, e.g. Samoan tatau (“tattoo; to tap, to strike”).
Meanings
-
An image made on a body part, usually the skin with ink and a needle.
His shirt sleeves were turned up, so upon his brawny arms his tattooes were visible.
[1890], John Law [pseudonym; Margaret Harkness], “George, the Caretaker”, in A City Girl. A Realistic Story., 2nd edition, London: Authors’ Co-operative Publishing Co., Ltd. […], →OCLC, page 21; reprinted as A City Girl. A Realistic Story. (Novels of the 18th & 19th Century), London: British Library, Historical Print Editions, [2015], →OCLC:Nothing pleases a Burman more than to be asked to show his tattooes. He is as delighted as a collector of curios in England. They consist of a series of pictures of tigers, lions, elephants, dragons, demons, and what-not, surrounded by mottoes invoking good fortune, and round waist and knees the whole is framed by a neat floral or scroll pattern.
1898, W[illiam] S[proston] Caine, “Burma”, in Picturesque India: A Handbook for European Travellers, London: George Routledge and Sons Limited; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton and Co., →OCLC, page 622:And when they do, readers may find themselves on an unfamiliar website with an odd name, faced with a photo gallery of regrettable tattoos or a listicle on 22 celebrities with ugly spouses.
2019 October 4, Tiffany Hsu, “You Will Be Shocked by This Article”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 25 Mar 2020:Almost a century and a half after the De Soto Expedition, Joutel (Cox, 1905, II: 139–140), one of La Salle’s men, reacted to the Caddoes in much the same way as had De la Vega, finding their tattooes particularly repulsive. The Caddoes used needles or other sharp-pointed objects to prick the skin until the blood flowed, and then rubbed powdered charcoal into the wounds. When the wounds healed, the charcoal remaining under the skin made striking tattooes.
1961, W[illiam] W[ilmon] Newcomb, Jr., “The Caddo Confederacies: East Texas”, in The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times, Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, published 1965 (3rd printing), →LCCN, part IV (Barbaric Gardeners), page 289:And here's a solution to an age old tattoo problem. If your girlfriend's name, say, "Suzie," is tattooed on your arm, and you break up with her, don't have the tattoo removed. Just have the tattoo reworked so it says, "Fuck Suzie."
1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 31:Victor was spot on, of course; in fact, I have often been tempted to seek him out when I have been plagued by diseases of the heart. He'd be able to tell me in ten seconds whether someone was worth a tattoo or not.
1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 22:
- A method of decorating a body part, usually the skin, by inserting colored substances under the surface with a sharp instrument (usually a solenoid-driven needle).
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tattooes | Number=Plur | uncommon | lexicographic |
| tattoos | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
sleeve tattoo · tattoo flash · tattooless · tattooification · tat · tattoo machine · tattoolike · antitattoo · tatt · tattoo parlor · vattoo · amalgam tattoo · Tattoogate · tattooee · tattooage · tribal tattoo · tattoo gun · tantoo · henna tattoo · tattooable
Translations (147)
uz tatuirovka (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · rif tiggest (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sk tetovanie (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mn шивээс (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ar وَشْم (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · nl tatoeage (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ru татуи́рование (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · tg вашм (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ab ацәанҵа́ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · af tatoe (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · rm tatuaziun (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · cmn 刺青 (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · is tattó (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fwa hahûn (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · pt tatuagem (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · cmn 文身 (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · nmn ǁáa (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tg холкӯбӣ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ty tatau (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mr टॅटू (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · kmr deq (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · eo tatuo (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · bn উল্কি (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · de Tattoo (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · is húðflúr (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · be татуіро́ўка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · piz hakhûn (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · cs tetování (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · uk татуюва́ння (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · bg татуиро́вка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mn ᠰᠢᠪᠡᢉᠡᠰᠦ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · hy դաջվածք (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · hi गोदना (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ko 문신 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ro tatuaj (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · pl tatuaż (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · th การสัก (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · da tatovering (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · io tatuo (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · my ထိုးကွင်း (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sv tatuering (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ja 入れ墨 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sh tetoviranje (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · cmn 紋身 /纹身 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ms tatu (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · gu છુંદણું (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · rm tetovaziun (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · nem hangun (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · pl dziara (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sl tetovaža (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · de Tätowieren (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · tg вашмкунӣ (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · sm tatau (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · az döymə (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mi kiri tuhi (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ru тату́ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · io tatuo (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · it tatuaggio (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · uk татуюва́ння (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · fo tatovering (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tet tatuajen (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ca tatuatge (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · gu છુંદણું છુંદાવવું (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · iu kakiniit (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fa خالکوبی (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · id tato (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · yue 刺青 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mk тетовирање (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · az tatuirovka (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fo litprikan (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · bg татуиране (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · uk тату́ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ja 刺青 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · to tā-tatau (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ps خالوهنه (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ru нако́лка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fi tatuointi (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · vi xăm (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · th รอยสัก (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · de Tätowierung (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tk tatuirowka (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · es tatuaje (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · no tatovering (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · nem haknun (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · kk татуировка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sq tatuazh m lulebojë (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · acw وَشِم (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ru татуиро́вка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · id rajah (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · grc στίγμα (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ky татуировка (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · hu tetkó (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sv tatuering (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · el τατουάζ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fi tatuointi (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tl tato (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sq tatuazh (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · ga tatú (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · da tatovering (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · tg холкӯбӣ (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · lv tetovēšana (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · km សាក់ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · kk дене әшекейі (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · be татуі́раванне (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · nrf tatouage (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sl tatu (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fr tatouage (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · he כְּתוֹבֶת קַעֲקַע (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mi moko (traditional Māori) (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ja タトゥー (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sh тетова́жа (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · et tätoveering (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tl pika (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fa وشام (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · mk тетова́жа (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ast tatuaxe (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sl tetoviranje (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · grc στίξις (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tr dövme (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · lkt oákitȟo (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · haw kākau (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · iu ᑲᑭᓃᑦ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ja 文身 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · cmn 文身 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fa تتو (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · km ការសាក់លើស្បែក (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · ka სვირინგი (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ne ट्याटू खोप्नु (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · is tattú (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · tl batik (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · lt tatuiruotė (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · oma qthexé (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ko 타투 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ur گودنا (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · be тату́ (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · fa وشم (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · el δερματοστιξία (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · el κατάστιξη (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · hy դաջում (method of decorating the skin by inserting colored substances under the surface) · gl tatuaxe (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · af tatoeëermerk (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · sh tetováža (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · cmn 刺青 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · yue 紋身 /纹身 (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · hu tetoválás (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · lv tetovējums (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle) · ne ट्याटू (an image made in the skin with ink and a needle)