shibboleth

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 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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