planchette

noun plan·chette \ plan-ˈshet \

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of planchette

: a small triangular or heart-shaped board supported on casters at two points and a vertical pencil at a third and believed to produce automatic writing when lightly touched by the fingers; also : a similar board without a pencil

Recent Examples of planchette from the Web

Ouija boards aren't foolproof and, yes, people often — whether consciously or unconsciously — move the planchette.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "A Beginner’s Guide to Communicating With Spirits on the Other Side," 19 June 2018
At first Hutchings was on the board with Curran, then others began taking a turn at the planchette.

— joy lanzendorfer, Longreads, "Ghost Writer: The Story of Patience Worth, the Posthumous Author," 14 June 2018
The playful, interactive Ouija 2000 allows visitors to the site to control the planchette of a real Ouija board via remote, by moving their computer’s mouse, while watching a live feed of the board onscreen.

— reena jana, WIRED, "Whitney Speaks: It Is Art," 23 Mar. 2000

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'planchette.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.