Tattoo 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, etc.) 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 performance — see "military tattoo". In this case, the English word "tattoo" is derived from the Dutch word "taptoe".
Samoan language means child or boy, while "tamā" means father. Diphthongs are . The combination of u followed by a vowel in some words creates the sound of the English w, a letter not part of the Samoan alphabet, as in "uaua" (artery, tendon). In formal Samoan, used for example in news broadcasts or sermons, the consonants are used. In colloquial Samoan, however, merge as and is pronounced . The glottal stop is phonemic in Samoan. The presence or absence of the glottal stop affects the meaning of words otherwise spelled the same, e.g. "mai" = from, originate from; "maʻi" = sickness,