ouija
/ˈwiːd͡ʒə/ noun
Forms ouijas
- noun (countable) A board, having letters of the alphabet and the words yes and no; used with a planchette during a seance to "communicate" with spirits.
- noun (uncountable) The use of such a board to attempt to communicate with spirits.
Synonyms
Etymology
The popular belief that the word came from French oui (“yes”) + German ja (“yes”) is a misconception. The name is taken from a word spelled out on the board when it was asked to name itself by Helen Peters, sister-in-law of Kennard Company investor Elijah Bond. It is noted in personal letters that Ouija was the name of a woman in a painting above her head at the time, who it is speculated may have in fact been Ouida.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “ouija”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details