noun

tattoo

ta-TOO

noun

A permanent design made on the skin by injecting ink with a needle.

"She got a small tattoo of a swallow on her wrist."

"His arm was covered in colourful tattoos."

A military drumming or bugle signal, or a public display of military music and marching.

"Crowds gathered to watch the Edinburgh Military Tattoo."

verb

To mark someone's skin permanently with such a design.

"He had his son's name tattooed above his heart."

How to Use Tattoo

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA permanent skin marking made with ink and needle — unrelated in origin to the military-parade sense, which is a coincidental homonym.

Common mistake

The military "tattoo" (a drum signal or parade) comes from a completely different root (Dutch taptoe) than the skin-marking sense, despite the identical spelling.

Common pairings

get a tattoo tattoo artist military tattoo

Word Forms

tattooed past tense, tattooed past tense, tattoos plural, tattooes plural, tattoos plural, tattoos plural, tattoos singular, tattoos singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

She got a small _____ of a swallow on her wrist.

Etymology

Borrowed via English sailors from a Polynesian word (Samoan tatau), which itself meant both "to strike" and "tattoo," reflecting how the ink was traditionally tapped into the skin.

Rhymes for tattoo

oo too moo loo foo doo boo woo roo coo goo soo

See all rhymes for tattoo →