Library / English Dictionary

TATTOO

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("tattoo" is a kind of...):

decoration (the act of decorating something (in the hope of making it more attractive))

Derivation:

tattoo (stain (skin) with indelible color)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A design on the skin made by tattooing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("tattoo" is a kind of...):

design; figure; pattern (a decorative or artistic work)

Derivation:

tattoo (stain (skin) with indelible color)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("tattoo" is a kind of...):

bugle call (a signal broadcast by the sound of a bugle)

drumbeat ((military) the beating of a drum as a signal for lowering the flag at sundown)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Stain (skin) with indelible color

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "tattoo" is one way to...):

stain (color with a liquid dye or tint)

"Tattoo" entails doing...:

prick; prickle (make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s something on somebody

Derivation:

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

tattoo (a design on the skin made by tattooing)

Credits

 Context examples: 

One was the same as the tattoo mark, Billy Bones his fancy; then there was Mr. W. Bones, mate, No more rum, Off Palm Key he got itt, and some other snatches, mostly single words and unintelligible.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The health risks of piercings and tattoos include: • Allergic reactions • Keloids, a type of scar that forms during healing • Infections, such as hepatitis

(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)

It is possible to remove tattoos, but it's painful and can cause scarring.

(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)

A permanent tattoo is meant to last forever.

(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)

Piercings and tattoos are body decorations that go back to ancient times.

(Piercing and Tattoos, NIH)

Gatsby's foot beat a short, restless tattoo and Tom eyed him suddenly.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)