planchette

American  

[plan-shet, -chet] / plænˈʃɛt, -ˈtʃɛt /

noun

1. a small, heart-shaped board supported by two casters and a pencil or stylus that, when moved across a surface by the light, unguided pressure of the fingertips, is supposed to trace meaningful patterns or written messages revealing subconscious thoughts, psychic phenomena, clairvoyant messages, etc.

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planchette British  

/ plɑːnˈʃɛt /

noun

1. a heart-shaped board on wheels, on which messages are written under supposed spirit guidance

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Etymology

Origin of planchette

From French, dating back to 1855–60; see origin at planch, -ette

Explanation

A planchette is a small triangular board used in automatic writing, a phenomenon associated with spiritualism. Although planchettes today are most commonly associated with the three-legged plastic moving window that comes with Ouija boards, the original devices predate the Ouija and included a pencil in place of one of the legs. Anyone from a psychic medium to curious parlor game player would then lay their fingertips atop the board, and the pencil would move, seemingly without any direction from the user, writing out answers to questions asked aloud. The word came into English in 1860 as the name of this device. In French, planchette means "little plank."

Example Sentences

“Now. Planchette was quite insistent about a nun. Have you learned anything about a nun, John?”

From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson

Planchette said it was meant for a test.

From Telepathy and the Subliminal Self by Mason, R. Osgood

Sitting alone, neither of the ladies nor Mr. Wedgwood was able to obtain any results at all with Planchette; the board remained absolutely motionless.

From Telepathy and the Subliminal Self by Mason, R. Osgood

A young daughter of my friend—a school-girl fifteen or sixteen years of age—remarked that Planchette would move and sometimes even write for her, and she asked me to join her in a trial.

From Telepathy and the Subliminal Self by Mason, R. Osgood

It is to the development of psychical force, as shown by Planchette, that the phenomena known as mesmerism and the so-called spiritualism are undoubtedly due.

From The Galaxy, Volume 23, No. 2, February, 1877 by Various