tattoo Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
noun a design on the skin made by tattooing
noun the practice of making a design on the skin by pricking and staining
verb stain (skin) with indelible color

Earlier taptoo, D. taptoe; tap a tap, faucet + toe to, shut (i. e., the taps, or drinking houses, shut from the soldiers).

(Mil.) 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.

Of Polynesian origin; cf. New Zealand ta to tattoo, tatu puncturation (in Otaheite).

imperfect & past participle Tattooed ; present participle & verbal noun Tattooing

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

plural Tattoos

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.