GO:0006423

The process of coupling cysteine to cysteinyl-tRNA, catalyzed by cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase. In tRNA aminoacylation, the amino acid is first activated by linkage to AMP and then transferred to either the 2'- or the 3'-hydroxyl group of the 3'-adenosine residue of the tRNA. [GOC:mcc, ISBN:0716730510]