Toggle

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈtɒɡ.əl/

Definitions

1. A switch or control that alternates between two states or settings when activated
2. A mechanism that enables the user to alternate between two distinct states or options when engaged
3. A control interface that allows switching back and forth between two functional modes or settings

Etymology: The origin of "toggle" is uncertain, and the most plausible proposal is that it is an alteration of "tug", the verb meaning to pull, with the frequentative-style ending "-le" added to it. That suffix is the same one found in words like "twinkle" and "wriggle", which describe repeated or back-and-forth motion. On that reading, a toggle would be something that is tugged back and forth between two positions. The sense of the word is well suited to that idea. In its older uses, a toggle was a short piece of wood, metal or leather fixed through a loop or hole, which held a rope or strap in place and could be pulled free. Its modern sense of a switch that flips between two states grew from the same picture of a small device moved between one position and the other.

Synonyms: switch, flip, shift, change, alternate