i always thought switch came from the old telephone "switchboards", which were usually handled inside of large buildings. you'd call the operator to route (e.g

i always thought switch came from the old telephone "switchboards", which were usually handled inside of large buildings. you'd call the operator to route (e.g. a router) your call to the right location, and then the switchboard operator inside said location. routing itself came from postal routing, IIRC