Where does “schalten” come from?

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

schalten (German): to switch

Definitions

  1. to switch

Ancestry of “schalten”, step by step

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

Words derived from “schalten”

Every word from Proto-Germanic skaldaną →
schalten — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer