Tattoo Meaning
/tæˈtuː/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn image made on a body part, usually the skin with ink and a needle.
nounA method of decorating a body part, usually the skin, by inserting colored substances under the surface with a sharp instrument (usually a solenoid-driven needle).
Sentence Examples
She has a tattoo of a lizard on her thigh.
Do you have a tattoo?
CEFR Practice Quiz
He decided to get a permanent ____ of his favorite symbol on his left arm.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to get a small ____ of an anchor on his arm to remember his time serving in the national navy today.
Word Origin & History
From earlier tattaow, tattow, a borrowing from a Polynesian language, e.g. Samoan tatau (“tattoo; to tap, to strike”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"His shirt sleeves were turned up, so upon his brawny arms his tattooes were visible."
— [1890], John Law [pseudonym; Margaret Harkness], “George, the Caretaker”, in A City Girl. A Realistic Story., 2nd edition, London: Authors’ Co-operative Publishing Co., Ltd. […], →OCLC, page 21; reprinted as A City Girl. A Realistic Story. (Novels of the 18th & 19th Century), London: British Library, Historical Print Editions, [2015], →OCLC:
"Nothing pleases a Burman more than to be asked to show his tattooes. He is as delighted as a collector of curios in England. They consist of a series of pictures of tigers, lions, elephants, dragons, demons, and what-not, surrounded by mottoes invoking good fortune, and round waist and knees the whole is framed by a neat floral or scroll pattern."
— 1898, W[illiam] S[proston] Caine, “Burma”, in Picturesque India: A Handbook for European Travellers, London: George Routledge and Sons Limited; New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton and Co., →OCLC, page 622:
"Almost a century and a half after the De Soto Expedition, Joutel (Cox, 1905, II: 139–140), one of La Salle’s men, reacted to the Caddoes in much the same way as had De la Vega, finding their tattooes particularly repulsive. The Caddoes used needles or other sharp-pointed objects to prick the skin until the blood flowed, and then rubbed powdered charcoal into the wounds. When the wounds healed, the charcoal remaining under the skin made striking tattooes."
— 1961, W[illiam] W[ilmon] Newcomb, Jr., “The Caddo Confederacies: East Texas”, in The Indians of Texas: From Prehistoric to Modern Times, Austin, Tex.: University of Texas Press, published 1965 (3rd printing), →LCCN, part IV (Barbaric Gardeners), page 289:
"Victor was spot on, of course; in fact, I have often been tempted to seek him out when I have been plagued by diseases of the heart. He'd be able to tell me in ten seconds whether someone was worth a tattoo or not."
— 1995, Nick Hornby, High Fidelity, London: Victor Gollancz, →ISBN, page 22:
"And here's a solution to an age old tattoo problem. If your girlfriend's name, say, "Suzie," is tattooed on your arm, and you break up with her, don't have the tattoo removed. Just have the tattoo reworked so it says, "Fuck Suzie.""
— 1997, George Carlin, Brain Droppings, New York: Hyperion Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 31:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He decided to get a permanent ____ of his favorite symbol on his left arm.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He decided to get a small ____ of an anchor on his arm to remember his time serving in the national navy today.