Etymograph

English

planchette

Planchette comes from French planchette ‘small plank’, from Ancient Greek φάλαγξ ‘line of battle, battle-array’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- ‘beam, plank’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰelǵ-1‘beam, plank’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάλαγξ2‘line of battle, battle-array’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphalanga2
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpalanca2‘slat, plank or stake’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEplanca2‘slat, plank’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400planche2‘plank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentplanche3
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentplanchette4‘small plank’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2009planchette4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φάλαγξ
  2. 2 Wiktionary, French planche
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French planchette
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English planchette
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Warning issued about fake cash: “Some general security features to look for in both…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰelǵ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φάλαγξ‘beam, plank’uncertain
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάλαγξWiktionary, French planche‘line of battle, battle-array’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphalangaWiktionary, French planche
  4. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpalancaWiktionary, French planche‘slat, plank or stake’
  5. Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEplancaWiktionary, French planche‘slat, plank’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400plancheWiktionary, French planche‘plank’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentplancheWiktionary, French planchette
  8. Frenchc. 1600–presentplanchetteWiktionary, English planchette‘small plank’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 2009planchetteWiktionary, English planchette. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Warning issued about fake cash: “Some general security features to look for in both…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- ‘beam, plank’

block, bulk, balcony, fulcrum, balk, phalanx, phalanges, 14 more

through Vulgar Latin planca ‘slat, plank’

plank, 3 more

Today it means

noun A small plank.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “planchette”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek φάλαγξ, French planche, French planchette. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- / planchette

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