Etymology

switchback

switch·back
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Today it means: A railway track on a steep slope in a zigzag formation, in which a train travels in a reverse direction at each switch. Full definition →

First used mid to late 19th c.
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The story

The noun is derived from switch (“to turn (a train) from one railway track to another using a switch”, verb) + back (“so as to reverse direction and return”, adverb). The verb is derived from the noun.

First known use, by meaning

  • from mid to late 19th c. A railway track on a steep slope in a zigzag formation, in which a train travels in a reverse direction at each switch.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.