Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: TATTOOS |
TATTOOSPlural1. Of Tattoo |
Date "TATTOOS" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1841. (references) |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
A tattoo is a kind of body modification.
The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian tatu, which means, "to mark." The first recorded history of tattooing is found in Egypt during the time of the building of the great pyramids. Mummies as old as seven thousand years have been found with tattoos.
Tattoo of a black leopard.
Larger version
Tattoo of an eagle.
Larger version
Detail of eagle tattoo.
A tattoo in the most common sense is a picture, figure or text drawn in ink (or other pigment) under the topmost layer of skin on an animal or human. In modern times the ink is introduced under the skin by a group of needles soldered to a needle bar then attached to an electric tattoo machine, although some tribal cultures create them by cutting and then rubbing the wound with ink, ashes or other agents or by "tapping" the ink into the skin using animal bone.
The purposes of tattoos are diverse. Identification, cosmetic, religious and magicalal uses are the most common. The most horrid use ever made of tattoos is probably the ka-tzetnik identification system for Jews in concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Tattooing is technically referred to as "micro-pigment implantation". Devices for implanting pigment are called "machines," which operate on an electro- magnetic principle (much like an old-fashioned door bell) and are manufactured by many small to mid-sized companies throughout the world. Typical tattoo machines cost around $200 USD, though certain collectible machines can run into the thousands.
Permanent Cosmetics
Permanent cosmetics are tattoos that mimic eyebrows, lip liner, lipstick, eye shadow, mascara, and even well-placed moles.
Tattoos are used with animals such as pets (ID marks, covering patches on noses to prevent sunburn) and farm livestock (ID marks). Veterinarians are always present during such procedures and the animal is typically sedated to ensure its safety.
Henna / Temporary Tattoos
Temporary tattoos made with 'black henna' may cause allergic reactions. 'Black henna' is fabricated by adding PPD (p-Phenylenediamine) to natural henna, in order to achieve a black color rather than the orange through brown stain of natural henna. PPD is very unhealthy and has been known to cause burns[1].
Tattoo Health and Regulation
The tattoo industry has in the last twenty years become very conscious of the health problems associated with tattoing, particularly in the transmission of viruses by blood contact. This may occur if needles or tubes are reused without sterilizing.
In the United States of America tattooing is widely regulated by the individual states and municipalities. A good place to find regulations are state, Department of Health web sites and are typically controlled by Environmental Health or Consumer Protection divisions.
Pigment Allergies and Health Risks
Allergic reactions to tattoo pigments are rare but not unheard of. People who are sensitive or allergic to certain metals may react to pigments in the skin, causing damage to the epidermis.
People with allergies should consider carefully getting a tattoo because of the risk of anaphylaxis (hypersensitive reaction) and the shock that might occur, which can be life threatening. Tattoo artists can often give small tests, by marking a small amount of ink behind the ear to determine if that person has an allergic reaction.
Infection from tattooing in clean and modern tattoo studios is rare but can happen. Common infections include surface infections of the skin all the way to staph infections that can cause cardiological damage. People who are susceptible to infection should know the dangers of the abasing of the skin can have and would be advised to consult their regular physician before getting a tattoo.
AIDS and Hepatitis C are rare in clean, modern tattooing.
Common sense in choosing a tattoo establishment is key to getting a clean, well executed, and professional tattoo. Visit several studios before choosing one. Look for things like latex gloves, red bio-hazard trash cans, and sharps containers for old needles. Also ask to see the autoclave and make sure the tattoo artist always opens a needle package in front of you. Use your head and you won't be in any real danger. (Think before you ink!)
See also: scar tattoo, military music tattoo (such as the Edinburgh Millitary Tattoo), body modification
References
- The Total Tatoo Book Amy Krakow, ISBN 0446670014
- Tattoo Art Magazine
External link
- How Tattoos Work from HowStuffWorks.com (Warning: Numerous popups)
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Tattoo."
Crosswords: TATTOOS |
| English words defined with "TATTOOS": dermabrasion. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "TATTOOS": LIVESTOCK-YARD ATTENDANT. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | And those tattoos are totally henna (Grosse Pointe; writing credit: Amy Engelberg; Wendy Engelberg) When the door to that trailer opened and I looked into her face, I mean, even with the blonde wig and the tattoos, I knew that I had found my birth mother (Wings; writing credit: Ere Kokkonen) I understand, I'm not your type, too many tattoos. Thing is, there isn't much to do in prison except desecrate your flesh (Cape Fear; writing credit: John D. MacDonald; James R. Webb) | |
Lyrics | Lip gloss shinin', tattoos on the back (Ghetto Girls; performing artist: Lil Bow Wow) | |
Clever | You're trailer trash when you need one more hole punched in your card to get a freebie at the House of Tattoos. (references; author: unknown) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books | |||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | Gunner's Mate Second Class Charles J. Hansen working on a 40mm quad machine gun mount, during the battleship's shakedown period, circa August 1944. Note his tattoos, commemorating service on USS Vincennes (CA-44) and shipmates lost with her in the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942. Credit: NAVY. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Human Rights | Guatemala | When the court system analyzed arrest warrants for juveniles it found such reasons as having tattoos or scandalous behavior in public. (references) |
Guinea | The refugees were held for 3 days at a military camp in Kissidougou where they were kept under harsh conditions, beaten, and strip searched for tattoos. (references) | |
Guinea | Groups of vigilantes in the Guekedou area forced refugees and humanitarian workers to undress and then examined them for tattoos, which are presumed to be identification marks for rebel groups. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "TATTOOS" is generally used as a noun (plural) -- approximately 97.94% of the time. "TATTOOS" is used about 97 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (plural) | 97.94% | 95 | 33,629 |
| Noun (proper) | 2.06% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Total | 100.00% | 97 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Language | Translations for "TATTOOS"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Chinese | 纹身花刺 (tattoo). (various references) | |
German | tätowiert. (various references) | |
Korean | 귀영나" (tattoo). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | attoostay.(various references) | |
Spanish | tatuajes. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"TATTOOS" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Gattuso, shahtoosh, tactoo, tatoo, tatooes, tatoos, tatos, tatto, tattoe, tattooes, tattos, tattow, tatus, Tetovo, titos, Titovo, tratados. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "TATTOOS" (pronounced tatuw"z) |
| 3 | -t uw" z | stews, twos. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-o-o-s-t-t-t" | |
-1 letter: tattoo. | |
-2 letters: ottos, stoat, toast, toots. | |
-3 letters: oast, oats, oots, otto, soot, stat, stoa, taos, tats, toot, tost, tots. | |
-4 letters: att, oat, oot, sat, sot, tao, tas, tat, too, tot. | |
-5 letters: as, at, os, so, ta, to. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-o-o-s-t-t-t" | |
+2 letters: photostat, tattooers, tattooist. | |
+3 letters: outstation, photostats, tattooists, toothpaste. | |
+4 letters: autorotates, cottontails, orthostatic, ostentation, outstations, photostated, photostatic, toothpastes, totalisator. | |
+5 letters: antiboycotts, contestation, ostentations, ostentatious, photostating, photostatted, potentiators, protestation, somatostatin, stromatolite, teratologist, totalisators, totalizators. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Photo Album 7. Quotations: Non-fiction 8. Usage Frequency | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Derivations 11. Rhymes 12. Anagrams | 13. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
