I was thinking of getting a tattoo. Can you tell me anything about them?
A design is permanently put on the body using ink its a form of body modification
Oh interesting. I wonder if it hurts.
It does, tattoos are in three basic categories symbolic, purely decorative and pictorial
I wonder what category my "Mom" tattoo would be in.
Symbolic because it has special meaning toyou :)
That makes sense. Thanks for sharing these interesting facts.
ear tattoos on livestock as a form of branding.
Terminology.
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, etc.) tatau. In Marquesan, tatu." Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been
Tattoo
A tattoo is a form of body modification where a design is made by inserting ink, dyes and pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. The art of making tattoos is tattooing. 
Tattoos fall into three broad categories: purely decorative (with no specific meaning); symbolic (with a specific meaning pertinent to the wearer); pictorial (a depiction of a specific person or item). In addition, tattoos can be used for identification such as