small ornamental device, generally a pair of linked buttons (button) or one button that fastens with a bar or shank, inserted through buttonholes to keep the cuff of a shirt or blouse closed. Cuff buttons took the place of cuff strings in the 17th century, and the word link appeared as early as 1788.

By the 1840s, cuff links were usually in the form of gold, silver, or pearl buttons held together by chain links. There have been many variations in cuff-link design, and they are no longer limited to the button form and may be made of any number of materials.