Main Entry:: shib·bo·leth
Pronunciation:: \ˈshi-bə-ləth also -ˌleth\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Hebrew shibbōleth 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 shibboleths 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>

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