Hipster Tattoo Ideas 2017 – Best tattoos 2017, designs and ideas for men and women

The word tattoo, or tattow in the 18th century, is a loanword from the Samoan word tatau, which means "to strike". The Oxford English Dictionary provides the etymology of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian (Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, and so forth.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." Prior to 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 performance — see military tattoo. In this case, the English word tattoo is derived from the Dutch word taptoe.The first written reference to the word tattoo (or tatau) seems 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, each and 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 may 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 exactly where they perform as "tattoo shops", "tattoo studios" or "tattoo parlors".Mainstream art galleries hold exhibitions of both traditional and custom tattoo styles, such as Beyond Skin, at the Museum of Croydon. Copyrighted tattoo designs that are mass-made and sent to tattoo artists are recognized as "flash", a notable instance of industrial design and style.[8] Flash sheets are prominently displayed in a lot of tattoo parlors for the objective of providing both inspiration and prepared-produced tattoo photos to buyers.

The Japanese word irezumi signifies "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos employing tebori, the traditional Japanese hand strategy, a Western-style machine or any approach of tattooing utilizing insertion of ink. The most widespread word employed for classic Japanese tattoo styles is horimono. Japanese might use the word tattoo to imply non-Japanese designs of tattooing.