What does tatted mean?
“Tatted” most traditionally means made or decorated with tatting, a delicate lace made from knotted or looped thread using a small shuttle. It is commonly used for garments and household objects with tatted edging, collars, inserts, or other decorative lacework. The word can also mean tattooed, especially in informal speech, as in a description of someone covered in body art; in that sense it resembles a clipped form of “tattooed.” These meanings make “tatted” unusual in being able to evoke either the refined delicacy of handmade lace or the bold appearance of inked skin. Context usually resolves the ambiguity: textiles and needlework point toward the first meaning, while references to a person’s body, art, or appearance point toward the second. In careful edited writing, “tattooed” is usually clearer for the latter sense.
Made or decorated with tatting, a type of lace worked by hand.
"The old-fashioned gown was finished with a tatted hem."
Common in descriptions of textiles, clothing, and traditional needlework.
Covered in or bearing tattoos; tattooed.
"Her arms are tatted with intricate black-and-gray designs."
Informal and somewhat clipped; “tattooed” is generally preferred in formal edited prose.
One word can travel from delicate bobbin lace to bold body art: “tatted” means both lace-trimmed and, informally, tattooed.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tatted come from?
In its needlework sense, “tatted” derives from “tatting,” a term for a kind of lace and for the process of making it. The word “tatting” entered English in the nineteenth century and is generally traced to Scandinavian sources associated with thread or lacework. In the informal tattoo sense, “tatted” functions as a shortened or clipped form of “tattooed,” whose broader family comes from Polynesian languages, especially Tahitian tatau. The two senses therefore have separate historical sources even though they now share one spelling.
How tatted is actually used
The lace sense is traditional and can occur in formal descriptions of textiles, clothing, and needlework. The tattoo sense is informal and especially common in speech; it is sometimes used as a clipped form of “tattooed,” though “tattooed” is more standard in edited prose. The spelling can therefore be ambiguous without context.
Easily confused with tatted
“Tatted” can mean made with tatting lace, while “tattooed” means marked with permanent designs on the skin.
“Tatted” can refer to lacework or tattoos, whereas “tattering” describes fabric or clothing becoming frayed or torn.