What does cufflink mean?
A cufflink is a small decorative fastener used to hold together the two sides of a double cuff — often called a French cuff — on a dress shirt or blouse. Worn in pairs, each cufflink passes through aligned buttonholes on either side of the cuff, securing it where buttons would otherwise be sewn. Cufflinks range from simple metal discs or chains to elaborate designs in gold, silver, enamel, or gemstones, and are frequently engraved or monogrammed. Because they appear only on formal or tailored garments, they carry strong associations with business dress, black-tie events, weddings, and traditional elegance, and they remain one of the few widely accepted forms of male jewelry. The word is almost always encountered in the plural, reflecting the fact that these fasteners come as a matched pair.
nounA small decorative fastener, usually ornamental, used to secure the cuffs of a shirt or blouse, typically worn in pairs and passed through buttonholes on either side of the cuff.
- A decorative fastener worn in pairs to secure the cuffs of a shirt with double (French) cuffs.
"He fastened his French cuffs with a pair of silver cufflinks before the gala."
"The bridegroom wore heirloom cufflinks engraved with his initials."
"She gave him a pair of enamel cufflinks for his first day at the new job."
The plural is by far the most common form in everyday use, since cufflinks are worn as a pair.
"She bought him a pair of silver cufflinks for his birthday."
Cufflinks are one of the few pieces of men's jewelry with a built-in excuse to be worn — you literally cannot fasten a double-cuff shirt without them.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cufflink
The word 'cufflink' is a transparent English compound formed from 'cuff' — the end of a sleeve — and 'link', meaning something that connects or fastens. Both elements are long-established English words: 'cuff' entered the language in the sixteenth century, while 'link' derives from Old Norse through Middle English. Cufflinks themselves emerged as an item of dress once shirts with doubled-over cuffs became fashionable, and the compound term arose naturally in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to describe the objects designed to fasten them. There are no notable foreign cognates; the term is essentially an English-language coinage built from native components.
How cufflink is actually used
Almost always used in the plural ('cufflinks') since they are worn as a pair; the singular 'cufflink' refers to a single fastener. The word carries connotations of formality and classic menswear.
Easily confused with cufflink
A cuff is the folded end of a sleeve itself, while a cufflink is the fastener used to hold that cuff closed.