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Added 9 October 2026

switch

/swɪt͡ʃ/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about switch at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Control consisting of a mechanical or electrical or electronic device for making or breaking or changing the connections in a circuit.
An event in which one thing is substituted for another.
the replacement of lost blood by a transfusion of donor blood
Hairpiece consisting of a tress of false hair; used by women to give shape to a coiffure.

verb

Change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence.
Exchange or give (something) in exchange for.
Lay aside, abandon, or leave for another.
switch to a different brand of beer

Origin

Perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch (“twig”), first attested in c. 1592. The mechanical device for altering the direction of something sense is first attested in c. 1797, pertaining to pivoted rails on minecart railways, which were once wooden.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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