Best NYC Tattoo Artists 30+ Top Shops Near Me

The word tattoo, or tattow in the 18th century, is a loanword from the Samoan word tatau, meaning "to strike". The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian (Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, and so forth.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been described in the West as painting, scarring or staining.The etymology of the body modification term is not to be confused with the origins of the word for the military drumbeat or overall performance — see military tattoo. In this case, the English word tattoo is derived from the Dutch word taptoe.The very first written reference to the word tattoo (or tatau) appears in the journal of Joseph Banks (24 February 1743 – 19 June 1820), the naturalist aboard explorer James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour: "I shall now mention the way they mark themselves indelibly, every of them is so marked by their humour or disposition".[5] The word tattoo was brought to Europe by Cook, when he returned in 1769 from his 1st voyage to Tahiti and New Zealand. In his narrative of the voyage, he refers to an operation known as "tattaw".

Tattoo enthusiasts might refer to tattoos as "ink", "pieces", "skin art", "tattoo art", "tats" or "work"; to the creators as "tattoo artists", "tattooers" or "tattooists"; and to areas where they operate as "tattoo shops", "tattoo studios" or "tattoo parlors".Mainstream art galleries hold exhibitions of each standard and custom tattoo styles, such as Beyond Skin, at the Museum of Croydon. Copyrighted tattoo designs that are mass-produced and sent to tattoo artists are known as "flash", a notable instance of industrial design and style.[8] Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors for the goal of offering both inspiration and ready-created tattoo images to consumers.

The Japanese word irezumi signifies "insertion of ink" and can imply tattoos using tebori, the traditional Japanese hand strategy, a Western-style machine or any method of tattooing making use of insertion of ink. The most widespread word utilised for classic Japanese tattoo designs is horimono. Japanese may possibly use the word tattoo to mean non-Japanese styles of tattooing.