Tatoo
/təˈtuː/noun
An obsolete variant spelling of tattoo, meaning a permanent design made by inserting pigment into the skin.
Did you know?Captain James Cook’s voyages helped introduce the Polynesian term into European languages, where early English writers recorded spellings such as “tattow,” “tattoo,” and “tatoo.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*tatau
“To strike, mark, or create a pattern by tapping; the reconstructed ancestral source of the Polynesian tattoo vocabulary.”
18th Century
Tahitian
tatau
“A marking or ritual practice of permanently marking the skin.”
1770s
English
tattow
“An early English rendering recorded in accounts of Pacific voyages.”
18th Century
English
tattoo
“A permanent design or mark made by puncturing the skin and inserting pigment.”
18th–19th Century
English
tatoo
“An obsolete or variant spelling of tattoo, appearing in historical usage.”
Modern English
English
tattoo
“The standard modern spelling for a permanent pigmented design or mark on the skin.”