Tattoo Etymology - The History of The Word and The Art of Tattooing

Although tattoos are popular with many social groups in our society but their origins are from very different era. It is believed that tattoo etymology begins in the English language in 1769 with Joseph Banks, the naturalist aboard The Endeavour, explorer Captain James Cook's ship. Whilst sailing throughout Polynesia they took the word tatu from the Tahitian and Samoan languages. In Cook's diary the word is first used as a noun and a verb. Sailors travelling in Polynesia reintroduced the custom into Europe and tattoos were mainly associated with sailors for years (and to some generations still are). Tattooing existed in pre-Christian Germanic and Celtic tribes and was described by Julius Caesar in 54 BC. Today, tattoos are very fashionable for many, but it began in the South Pacific.

When studied in the future, people will find that tattoo is the second most misspelled word on internet searches and is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. It is often spelled tatu, tato, tatoo and tatto. This is the tattoo etymology given by the Oxford English Dictionary. A variety of spellings of the word tattoo have been used in the arts for example band names and clothing designs.

Cherry Blossoms, Rose, Lotus Tattoos and More - Beautiful and Classic Flower Tattoo Design

Flower tattoos are classic and never go out of style. It started way back with a rose tat which was a favorite among bikers in the '60s. When more complicated shading of tattoos were introduced, other floral styles follow - the Hawaiian flowers like hibisus, orchid and plumeria and of course, the Japanese sakura or cherry blossoms. The very meaningful lily and lotus also became favorites not only because of their beauty but also because of the deep symbolism attached to them.

Flowers have always been a favorite among tat enthusiasts especial with the females because of their naturally exquisite beauty and the meaningful representation attached to them. When it comes to preferred tat locations for floral designs, anything goes as you see them everywhere. Lately, the rib cage have been becoming a trendy and sexy location for flower images. Perhaps, the cherry blossoms is the most popular one you can see on the rib cage;some have focused on the beauty of the sakura itself while others chose to have it tattooed as a cherry blossom tree.