Definitions for tattoo
tæˈtutat·too

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tattoo(noun)

   a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters

2. tattoo(noun)

   a design on the skin made by tattooing

3. tattoo(verb)

   the practice of making a design on the skin by pricking and staining

4. tattoo(verb)

   stain (skin) with indelible color

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tattoo(noun)

   a beat of drum, or sound of a trumpet or bugle, at night, giving notice to soldiers to retreat, or to repair to their quarters in garrison, or to their tents in camp

2. Tattoo(verb)

   to color, as the flesh, by pricking in coloring matter, so as to form marks or figures which can not be washed out

3. Tattoo(noun)

   an indelible mark or figure made by puncturing the skin and introducing some pigment into the punctures; -- a mode of ornamentation practiced by various barbarous races, both in ancient and modern times, and also by some among civilized nations, especially by sailors

Freebase(3.67 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tattoo

   A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The first written reference to the word, "tattoo" appears in the journal of Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard Captain Cook's ship the HMS Endeavour: "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, each of them is so marked by their humor or disposition". The word "tattoo" was brought to Europe by the explorer James Cook, when he returned in 1771 from his first voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation called "tattaw". Before this it had been described as scarring, painting, or staining. Tattooing has been practiced for centuries in many cultures, particularly in Asia, and spread throughout the world. The Ainu, an indigenous people of Japan, traditionally had facial tattoos. Today, one can find Atayal, Seediq, Truku, and Saisiyat of Taiwan, Berbers of Tamazgha, Yoruba, Fulani and Hausa people of Nigeria, and Māori of New Zealand with facial tattoos. Tattooing spread among Polynesians and among certain tribal groups in Africa, Borneo, Cambodia, Europe, Japan, the Mentawai Islands, MesoAmerica, New Zealand, North America and South America, the Philippines, and Taiwan. Indeed, the island of Great Britain takes its name from tattooing; Britons translates as "people of the designs", and Picts, the peoples who originally inhabited the northern part of Britain, literally means "the painted people". Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the practice continues to be popular in many parts of the world.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Tattoo

   tat-tōō′, n. a beat of drum and a bugle-call to call soldiers to quarters, originally to shut the taps or drinking-houses against them.—The devil's tattoo, the act of drumming with the fingers on a table, &c.; in absence of mind or impatience. [Dut. taptoe—tap, a tap, and toe, which is the prep., Eng. to. Ger. zu, in the sense of 'shut.']

2. Tattoo

   tat-tōō′, v.t. to mark permanently (as the skin) with figures, by pricking in colouring-matter.—n. marks or figures made by pricking colouring-matter into the skin.—ns. Tattoo′āge; Tattoo′er; Tattoo′ing. [Tahitian tatu.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tattoo

   The evening sound of drum or trumpet, after which the roll is called, and all soldiers not on leave of absence should be in their quarters.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. tattoo

   The evening sound of drum or trumpet, after which the roll is called, and all soldiers not on leave of absence should be in their quarters.

How to pronounce tattoo?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say tattoo in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tattoo in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tattoo in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of tattoo in a Sentence

1. Chris Woodhead:

   The idea of tattooing Chris Woodhead every day through the isolation came about in a way quite naturally, i thought it would be a good way of implementing some structure into my day, now that I can't tattoo from the studio.

2. Renee Bennett:

   The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, just living that out, playing that role, convincing myself that I was a supermodel - it was so fun. And yeah, I left feeling, I guess, the most confident I ever have.

3. Joe Exotic ex-husband:

   Overall, it was good but there were quite a few parts I didn't agree with, they should have done follow-through stories at the end. They made me look like a drugged-out hillbilly. They didn't even show my new teeth or the actual tattoo finished. There was quite a bit they didn't even touch on.

4. Tony Gibert:

   I think its amazing to be able to comfort your son like that, its more than just your kid seeing your name, or something, you get to actually, like, really change the way he feels about himself. TEXAS MOM WRITES SANTA LETTERS FOR FRONT-LINE PARENTS However, the process wasnt a walk in the park. In total, it took about 30 hours over the course of six to eight weeks to complete the tattoo.

5. Liao Lijia:

   Ten years ago we still associated tattoos with bad people or gangsters. People who wanted to get one were afraid of discrimination from society, but tattoo culture is well accepted by Chinese people these days, especially in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou.

Images & Illustrations of tattoo

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