n.
Pronunciation: ' shi-b ə -l ə th also - ˌ leth
Function: noun
Etymology: Hebrew shibb ō leth stream; from the use of this word in Judg 12:6 as a test to distinguish Gileadites from Ephraimites
Date: 1638
1 a : a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning <the old shibboleth s come rolling off their lips ― Joseph Epstein> b : a widely held belief <today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth ― L. A. Wood> c : TRUISM , PLATITUDE <some truth in the shibboleth that crime does not pay ― Lee Rogow>
2 a : a use of language regarded as distinctive of a particular group <accent was ⋯ a shibboleth of social class ― Vivian Ducat> b : a custom or usage regarded as distinguishing one group from others <for most of the well-to-do in the town, dinner was a shibboleth , its hour dividing mankind ― Osbert Sitwell>