Tattoo

Etymology of tattoo

The OED gives the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian tatau. In Tahitian, tatu." The word tatau was introduced as a loan word into English, thepronunciation being changed to conform to English phonology as "tattoo".[1] Sailors on later voyages both introduced the word and reintroduced the concept of tattooing to Europe.[2]
Tattooenthusiasts may refer to tattoos as "Ink", "Tats", "Art", "Pieces", or "Work"; and to the tattooists as "Artists". The latter usage is gaining greater support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitionsof both conventional and custom tattoo designs. Beyond Skin, at the Museum of Croydon, is an example of this as it challenges the stereotypical view of tattoos and who has them. Copyrighted tattoodesigns that are mass-produced and sent to tattoo artists are known as flash, a notable instance of industrial design. Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors for the purpose ofproviding both inspiration and ready-made tattoo images to customers.
The Japanese word irezumi means "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos using tebori, the traditional Japanese hand method, aWestern-style machine, or for that matter, any method of tattooing using insertion of ink. The most common word used for traditional Japanese tattoo designs is Horimono. Japanese may use the word "tattoo"to mean non-Japanese styles of tattooing.
In Taiwan, facial tattoos of the Atayal tribe are named "Badasun"; they are used to demonstrate that an adult man can protect his homeland, and that an adultwoman is qualified to weave cloth and perform housekeeping.[citation needed]
The anthropologist Ling Roth in 1900 described four methods of skin marking and suggested they be differentiated under thenames of tatu, moko, cicatrix, and keloid.[3]
[edit]History

A tattoo on the right arm of a Scythian chieftain, whose mummy was discovered at Pazyryk, Russia
Main article: History of tattooing...