toggle

English

WOTD – 16 October 2010

A toggle (sense 1)

A toggle (sense 2)

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. Possible alteration of tug (“to pull”) +‎ -le

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈtɒɡ.əl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑ.ɡəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒɡəl

Noun

toggle (plural toggles)

1. (nautical) A wooden or metal pin, short rod, crosspiece or similar, fixed transversely in the eye of a rope or chain to be secured to any other loop, ring, or bight, e.g. a sea painter to a lifeboat.
2. (in particular, fashion) A rod-shaped button bound with slack to the fabric.
3. A toggle switch.
4. An appliance for transmitting force at right angles to its direction.
5. A horizontal piece of wood that is placed on a door, flat, or other wooden structure, but is not on one of the edges of the structure.
6. A fastener that has flaps that align vertically to penetrate a surface and then spread out to secure the fastener in position, e.g. a molly bolt.
   • 1991, Kalton C. Lahue, Cheryl Smith, Interior Lighting, page 19:

     Hooks come with screws for use in plaster or wood and toggles for use in wallboard.

7. (skydiving) A loop of webbing or a dowel affixed to the end of the steering/brake lines of a parachute providing the pilot with a means of control.

Coordinate terms

• frog

Derived terms

terms derived from toggle (noun)

• toggle bolt
• toggle iron
• toggle joint
• toggler
• toggle valve
• toggle switch

Translations

pin, short rod or similar securing a loop in a rope or chain

• Bulgarian: щифт (bg) m (štift), клин (bg) m (klin)
• Czech: kloub (cs) m
• Finnish: tappi (fi)
• French: cabillot (fr) m
• Hebrew: רוֹכֵס (he) m (rokhes), כְּפִיס רְכִיסָה (he) m (kfis rekhisah)
• Italian: coccinello m, cavicchio (it) m
• Ottoman Turkish: ماندال (mandal)
• Spanish: cabilla (es) f

toggle switch — see toggle switch

Verb

toggle (third-person singular simple present toggles, present participle toggling, simple past and past participle toggled)

1. To alternate between two positions using a single switch or lever.

   Clicking a button will alternately toggle its light on OR off.

2. To switch between alternate states.

   toggle to lower/upper case

   You can quickly toggle the case of selected text by pressing Alt+C.

   • 2022 October 22, Maureen Dowd, “Ralph Fiennes, Master of Monsters”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     He’s that rare creature who’s equally powerful in the classics and popular fare, who’s dedicated to toggling between stage and screen. He is both prolific and enigmatic, disappearing into a dazzling range of characters.

3. (nautical, transitive) To fix like a toggle iron; to fix fast.

Derived terms

• togglable, toggleable
• untoggle

Translations

to alternate between two positions using a single switch or lever

• Bulgarian: превключвам (prevključvam)
• Catalan: commutar (ca), alternar (ca)
• Czech: přepnout
• Estonian: lülitama
• Finnish: vaihdella (fi), vaihtaa (fi)
• French: commuter (fr)
• German: umschalten (de) nach (de), umschalten (de) auf (de), einschalten (de)
• Indonesian: mengalihkan (id)
• Polish: przełączać
• Portuguese: alternar (pt)
• Russian: переключа́ть (ru) impf (pereključátʹ), переключи́ть (ru) pf (pereključítʹ)
• Spanish: alternar (es), conmutar (es)
• Ukrainian: перемика́ти impf (peremykáty), перемкну́ти pf (peremknúty)

to switch between alternate states

• Czech: přepnout
• Estonian: vahetama
• Finnish: vaihtaa (fi)
• French: basculer (fr)
• Maori: takahuri
• Polish: przełączać
• Portuguese: alternar (pt)
• Russian: переключа́ть (ru) impf (pereključátʹ), переключи́ть (ru) pf (pereključítʹ)
• Spanish: alternar (es), conmutar (es), trastrocar (es)
• Ukrainian: перемика́ти impf (peremykáty), перемкну́ти pf (peremknúty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Danish: ^{(please verify)} skifte (da)
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} schakelen (nl)
• German: ^{(please verify)} umschalten (de), ^{(please verify)} hin- und herschalten
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} a alterna

References

• “toggle”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• goglet