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
Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has long been plagued by allegations that some of its highest-ranking officials sport tattoos representing exclusionary deputy subgroups.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The negative space on the chest area shows a cross, while his arms create a peek at his previous tattoos.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2024
Jesus has been portrayed as Korean, a Black man with dreadlocks, as an indigenous Māori with a full-faced tattoo, and even as a Black woman.
—John Blake, CNN, 31 Mar. 2024
With lines for Lomax’s tattoos going out the door, Montgomery’s wife suggested the two open their own tattoo business together.
—Jenny Rudolph, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024
However, her parents caught on to her first visible tattoo right away.
—Jenna Wang, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024
Boise Police Department Meade, who has a series of distinctive tattoos on his face and body, is approximately 5 feet 6 inches and weighs 150 lbs, officials said.
—S. Dev, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2024
Everything else — the piercings, the tattoos — was all there.
—Stefano Montali, New York Times, 17 Mar. 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 19 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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