Shibboleth
//ˈʃɪbəlɛθ// noun
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A particular pronunciation or custom that is regarded as distinguishing members of a group from non-members, especially when used as a test.
"In recent times, the correct treatment of initial h in speech has come to be regarded as a kind of shibboleth of social position."
- 2 a manner of speaking that is distinctive of a particular group of people wordnet
- 3 A common or longstanding belief, custom, or catchphrase associated with a particular group, especially one with little current meaning or truth.
"It's about time we abandoned the bourgeois shibboleth that earning money makes you a better person."
- 4 a favorite saying of a group, organization or individual wordnet
Example
More examples"When challenged to pronounce "shibboleth", Christopher Columbus did it in such a perfect way, that he was instantly recognized as the new leader of the natives' army."
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת /שיבולת (šibbṓleṯ, “ear [of wheat] or stream, torrent”). Doublet of sebboleth and Middle English sebolech, both from Late Latin sebboleth in the Vulgate.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.