tattoo

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
noun a design on the skin made by tattooing
noun the practice of making a design on the skin by pricking and staining

From earlier tattaow, tattow, a borrowing from a Polynesian language, e.g. Samoan tatau (“tattoo; to tap, to strike”).

But, if very few tattoo, all paint. — The North-West Amazons: Notes of some months spent among cannibal tribes, Thomas Whiffen
How short the time between tattoo and reveille! — The Long Roll, Mary Johnston
His fingers beat a tattoo on his knee. — The Grell Mystery, Frank Froest

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