Derrick GooldBrian Murphy
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The less common noun tattoo comes from the Dutch colloquialism "tap toe," which can be translated as "turn off the tap," though it was most often used to mean something like "Shut up! Cease!" The Dutch began using the word taptoe for a drum beat, and then English speakers borrowed the term (changing it slightly, to taptoo and, eventually, to tattoo). It was used especially by the military to name a drum beat (or possibly a bugle call) that signaled the day's end. This taptoo most likely led to our taps, a term for the final bugle call at night in the military.
Examples of tattoo in a Sentence
Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 16 Apr. 2024
She was known to the public as the beauty with the blond hair, the face piercings, the dimples and tattoos all over her body.
—Marissa Evans, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta star Sierra Gates got some new ink, sitting for a robust tattoo that runs from her stomach to her calf.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 16 Apr. 2024
Angelina Jolie just added another tattoo to her collection.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024
The world’s oldest tattoos Ötzi the Iceman, whose 5,300-year-old body was found by hikers in the Tyrolean Alps, has 61 tattoos.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Stars aligned when the tattoo shop, Coast To Coast Tattoo, next door to Bird closed and the space became available.
—Kristen Kornbluth, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Another pair of white birds covers her chest, but nothing else — well, besides a metal cross and chain — obscures the rest of her body, leaving the tattoos on her arms, thighs and midriff exposed.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Rubén Ramos Jiménez, Tijuana’s regional prosecutor, confirmed that the body was found in Punta Bandera, and that a family member at the scene recognized Villarreal by his tattoos.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
Seminars focus on the intersection of tattooing with artificial intelligence, religion and advice for growing business owners.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Mar. 2024
Each design could be tattooed for $150, and two fans could also win free tattoos from the collection.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2024
Navels are tattooed with a black box representing the separation of a baby boy from his mother at birth.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024
Bowley, president of youth sports nonprofit Costa Mesa United, was celebrated as a champion of young sports in the area and was idolized by Knapp, who tattooed his initials – G.S.F.B. – on his left arm to honor him last summer.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
In a previous episode of RHOBH, Kyle permanently commemorated their relationship by tattooing her first initial onto Morgan.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2024
In this season of RHOBH, Bravo fans even saw Kyle tattooing her initial onto Morgan's arm — a gesture that had her costars raising their eyebrows.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024
The kids' names are tattooed in birth order on Barker's back.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tattoo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Tattoo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tattoo. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tattoo
1 of 3 noun
tattoo
2 of 3 verbtattoo
3 of 3 nounNoun
from earlier taptoo "a call to go to quarters for the night," from Dutch taptoe (same meaning), from the phrase tap toe! "taps shut!," used as a signal that the taps, or faucets, on the wine casks in a barroom were closed for the night
Verb
from a word in the native language of Tahiti tatau (noun) "the act of marking or coloring the skin"
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