An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/schalten
schalten, vb., ‘to go or push against the stream, direct, regulate,’ from MidHG. schalten, ‘to push, impel (espec. a ship), set a-going, drive.’ Just as Lat. gubernare came to mean ‘to direct, rule,’ so schalten acquired in ModHG. the sense of ‘to direct,’ OHG. scaltan,‘to push,’ OSax. skaldan, ‘to impel a ship’; a corresponding term is wanting in the other Teut. dials. Origin obscure. For derivatives see schelten. In ModHG. Schalter, ‘sash window,’ MidHG. schalter, schelter, ‘bolt,’ the prim. meaning of schalten gleams through; so too in Schaltjahr, MidHG. and OHG. schalt-jâr, n., ‘intercalary year,’ so named because a day is inserted.