Where does “switchhook” come from?
switchhook (English) comes from English hook, from Swedish hök, from Old Swedish høker, from Middle Low German hȫker, from Old High German huchan, from Proto-Germanic *hūkan-, from Proto-Germanic *hūkkan-, from Proto-Germanic *huk(k)ōn- — flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten.
switchhook (English): The spring-loaded button on a telephone that is...
Definitions
- The spring-loaded button on a telephone that is...
Ancestry of “switchhook”, step by step
switchhook traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English hook
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hook | A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with... |
| 2 | Swedish | hök | a hawk; a hawk; proponent of aggressive politics |
| 3 | Old Swedish | høker | hawk |
| 4 | Middle Low German | hȫker | peddler |
| 5 | Old High German | huchan | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkan- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | *hūkkan- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | *huk(k)ōn- | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *kuk-néh₂ | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱewk- | flare up, glow; white; to glow, burn, lighten |