Main Entry: ¹switch

Pronunciation: \ˈswich\

Function: noun

Etymology: perhaps from Middle Dutch swijch twig

Date: 1592

1 : a slender flexible whip, rod, or twig <a riding switch>
2 : an act of switching: as a : a blow with a switch b : a shift from one to another c : a change from the usual <that outfit is a switch>
3 : a tuft of long hairs at the end of the tail of an animal (as a cow) — see cow illustration
4 : a device made usually of two movable rails and necessary connections and designed to turn a locomotive or train from one track to another
5 : a device for making, breaking, or changing the connections in an electrical circuit
6 : a heavy strand of hair used in addition to a person's own hair for some coiffures