tattoo - Dictionary Definition : Vocabulary.com

A tattoo is a permanent design made on skin with a needle and ink. If you want a butterfly tattoo but you're scared of needles, you might settle for a temporary version.

The word tattoo is also a verb meaning stain the skin using needles and ink. It's probably a good idea to wait until you've been dating someone for more than a week before you tattoo their name on your arm. In music, a tattoo is continuous drumming, and a military tattoo is a drum or bugle that signals soldiers to return to their quarters at the end of the day.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: tattoo

1	n v	a design on the skin made by tattooing stain (skin) with indelible color
2	n	a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters

FULL DEFINITIONS OF: tattoo

1

n a design on the skin made by tattooing

Type of:: design, figure, pattern
a decorative or artistic work

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

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

v stain (skin) with indelible color

Type of:: stain
color with a liquid dye or tint

2

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

Type 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