Where does “Schaltknauf” come from?

Schaltknauf (German) comes from German schalten, from Middle High German schalten, from Old High German scaltan, from Proto-Germanic skaldaną — to knock, hit.

Ancestry of “Schaltknauf”, step by step

Schaltknauf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German schalten

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanschaltento switch
2Middle High Germanschalten—
3Old High Germanscaltanto push a ship forward
4Proto-Germanicskaldanąto knock, hit

via German Knauf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanKnaufknob, doorknob, stud
2Middle High Germanknouf—
3Old High Germanknouf—
4Proto-Germanicknaupaz—
Every word from Proto-Germanic skaldaną →Every word from Old High German scaltan →Every word from Middle High German schalten →