Ouija is a flat, heart-shaped board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0 to 9, the phrases “sure” and “no”, and numerous different symbols. It’s utilized in sances to speak with the spirits of the lifeless.
The phrase “Ouija” is alleged to be derived from the French and German phrases for “sure” (“oui” and “ja”), though this etymology has been disputed. The Ouija board was invented in 1890 by Elijah Bond, a mortician from Baltimore, Maryland. Bond claimed that the board was a software for speaking with the spirits of the lifeless, and it shortly grew to become standard as a parlor sport.