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Glite Dictionary
planchette

planchette

3 9.9
A small triangular board on wheels that you touch with your fingers to point to letters on a Ouija board
  • noun
  • /plænˈʃɛt/
: planchette
  • Her hand, poised on the plastic planchette, dashes in and out of the Ouija board alphabet.
  • fingers on the planchette
  • planchette moved
  • planchette was still

Eventually, the planchette moved to the yes position.

Examples

  • The planchette began to move as soon as they touched it.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The planchette glided smoothly across the board, spelling out a message from the beyond.

  • Eventually, the planchette moved to the yes position.

    Two Hot Takes

  • A lot better if I touch the planchette.

    Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

  • Was it you moving the planchette?

    Ouija (2014)

  • Gently touch the edge of the planchette.

    Drive Thru (2007)

  • If you're here, please move the planchette to yes.

    Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 (2024)

  • At home, she set the board next to Ben-David's pot and placed her fingers on the planchette.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The planchette moved wildly, then slowed down, then very pokily spelled.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • During the séance, everyone placed their fingers on the planchette to communicate with the spirit.

Surface Forms

planchette singular
planchettes plural

Morphology

planchette = planche + ette

The diminutive suffix '-ette' is familiar in English and signals 'small', but the root 'planche' is a French loan not a standalone English word, so the full meaning is only partially guessable for typical learners.

Etymology

Planchette comes from the French word planche meaning 'plank' or 'board' and the small ending -ette meaning 'little', so it literally means 'little board'. That's why a planchette is the small board people touch in séances that moves to point to letters and spell messages.