shibboleth means A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.
shibboleth is pronounced /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/.
Why “shibboleth” is a great word
SHIBBOLETH — [Noun] A word, pronunciation, or custom used as a test to distinguish members of a group from outsiders, or a once-meaningful belief or slogan now regarded as outworn and empty. From Biblical Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת (šibbṓleṯ, "ear of wheat" or "stream, torrent"), from the story in Judges 12:4–6 where the Gileadites used its pronunciation to identify Ephraimite refugees. Unlike a "password," a deliberate secret for authentication, or "dogma," an authoritative principle, a shibboleth is an incidental, often unconscious, marker of identity or a hollowed-out catchphrase. It is the linguistic tripwire that betrays the refugee at the ford, the political slogan chanted long after its cause has faded, and the subtle inflection of a vowel that marks a stranger in a quiet pub. It proves that the most potent borders are drawn not on maps, but in the throat.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת /שיבולת (šibbṓleṯ, “ear [of wheat] or stream, torrent”). Doublet of sebboleth and Middle English sebolech, both from Late Latin sebboleth in the Vulgate.
noun
- A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test.“In recent times, the correct treatment of initial h in speech has come to be regarded as a kind of shibboleth of social position.”
- A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or truth.“It's about time we abandoned the bourgeois shibboleth that earning money makes you a better person.”