stud1

noun

• 1a large-headed piece of metal that pierces and projects from a surface, especially for decoration.
• a small, simple piece of jewellery for wearing in pierced ears or nostrils: [as modifier]:diamond stud earrings
• a fastener consisting of two buttons joined with a bar, used in formal wear to fasten a shirt front or to fasten a collar to a shirt: a collar stud
• (usually studs) British a small projection fixed to the base of footwear, especially sports boots, to allow the wearer to grip the ground: his knee was cut by the Grimsby striker’s studs
• (usually studs) a small metal piece set into the tyre of a motor vehicle to improve roadholding in slippery conditions.
• a small object projecting slightly from a road surface as a marker: lines of reflector studs down the middle of a motorway

• 2an upright timber in the wall of a building to which laths and plasterboard are nailed: lath and plaster on timber studs
• US the height of a room as indicated by the length of a timber wall stud.

• 3a rivet or crosspiece in each link of a chain cable.

verb (studs, studding, studded)

• decorate or augment (something) with many studs or similar small objects:a dagger studded with precious diamonds
• scatter or cover (something) with many small objects or features:the sky was clear and studded with stars