shifter

Shifter is a term with multiple meanings, referring to a device or person involved in shifting, or to beings that can change form. It is commonly used in automotive and cycling contexts and in fiction to describe shapeshifters.

In vehicles, a shifter is the control used to select gears. In manual transmissions, the gear lever is called the shifter. In automatic transmissions, the gear selector serves a similar role and may include electronic or paddle shifters for manual control. In bicycles, shifters move the derailleurs to change gears, and come in mechanical, friction, and electronic varieties, often integrated with brakes in modern systems.

In folklore and popular culture, a shapeshifter, or shifter, is a being capable of changing physical form. Shifters appear in myths, folklore, and contemporary fantasy and science fiction, ranging from human-to-animal transformations to more fantastical changes. Depictions vary by culture and work, with some setting limits or costs on transformation.

Other uses include technical contexts where shifter describes a device that moves a state or signal from one condition to another, though this usage is less common outside engineering and computing. The word derives from shift plus -er.