Cufflink
KUFF-lingk
/ˈkʌflɪŋk/
A decorative fastener used to secure the cuffs of a shirt with French cuffs.
Worn as an accent piece in formal attire when shirt cuffs lack sewn buttons.
The story behind the word. Appeared in the late 17th century when gentlemen began replacing ribbon ties at their wrists with glass buttons joined by tiny metal chains to link the cuffs together.
Word relationships
- sleeve-button: Sleeve-button is an archaic term for small fasteners used prior to modern pivoted cufflinks.
Commonly confused with
- shirt button: Standard shirt buttons are permanently stitched onto shirt fabric, unlike removable cufflinks.
Word family
- cufflinks (noun): Plural form of cufflink.
Collocations
- silver cufflink
- gold cufflink
- pair of cufflinks
- fasten a cufflink
Example sentences
- "He fastened his silver cufflink securely before slipping his arms into the tuxedo jacket." Personal grooming
- "His father gave him a pair of engraved gold cufflink studs on his wedding morning." Family tradition
Memory hook
It literally LINKS the two sides of a shirt CUFF together. Links your wrist cuffs together.
When not to use
Do not use for ordinary shirts that have standard sewn buttons on the cuffs.
Fun facts
- King Charles II popularized decorative sleeve buttons, precursor to cufflinks, across European courts.
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