transcription, транскрипция: [ ˈshi-bə-ləth also ]
-ˌleth noun
Etymology: Hebrew shibbōleth stream; from the use of this word in Judges 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