Where does “Schaltzentrale” come from?

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

Schaltzentrale (German): switchboard

Definitions

  1. switchboard

Ancestry of “Schaltzentrale”, step by step

Schaltzentrale 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 Zentrale

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1GermanZentralecentral office, headquarters
Every word from Proto-Germanic skaldaną →Every word from Old High German scaltan →Every word from Middle High German schalten →