/ ˈʃɪbəleθ; NAmE / noun ( formal )
1.
an old idea, principle or phrase that is no longer accepted by many people as important or appropriate to modern life
2.
a custom, word, etc. that distinguishes one group of people from another
ORIGIN: From a Hebrew word meaning 'ear of corn'. In the Bible story, Jephthah, the leader of the Gileadites, was able to use it as a test to tell which were his own men, because others found the 'sh' sound difficult to pronounce.