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

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

The easiest example by way of illustration is automatic writing, often carried out by Planchette, which is a small platform mounted on wheels and bearing a pencil whose point touches a sheet of paper.

From Spiritualism and the New Psychology An Explanation of Spiritualist Phenomena and Beliefs in Terms of Modern Knowledge by Culpin, Millais

We were both anxious to try Planchette again.

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

Fairly studied, then, what does Planchette really do?

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