Webster's English Dictionary

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tattoo

1. tat.too \ta-'tu:\ n [alter. of earlier taptoo, fr. D taptoe, fr. the 
   phrase tap toe!] taps shut! 1a: a call sounded shortly before taps as 
   notice to go to quarters  1b: outdoor military exercise given by troops as 
   evening entertainment  2: a rapid rhythmic rapping 
2. tattoo vt : to beat or rap rhythmically on : drum on to give a series of 
   rhythmic  taps
3. tattoo n [Tahitian tatau] 1: the act of tattooing : the fact of being 
   tattooed  2: an indelible mark or figure fixed upon the body by insertion 
   of pigment  under the skin or by production of scars
4. tattoo vt 1: to mark or color (the skin) with tattoos  2: to mark the 
   skin with (a tattoo) {~ed a flag on his chest } - tat.too.er n