shibboleth

[shib-uh-lith, ‑-leth]

noun

1. a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.

2. a slogan; catchword.

3. a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.

shibboleth

/ ˈʃɪbəˌlɛθ /

noun

1. a belief, principle, or practice which is commonly adhered to but which is thought by some people to be inappropriate or out of date

2. a custom, phrase, or use of language that acts as a test of belonging to, or as a stumbling block to becoming a member of, a particular social class, profession, etc

shibboleth

1. In the Old Testament, shibboleth was a password used by the Israelites. It was chosen because their enemies could not pronounce it.

By extension, a shibboleth is an often-repeated slogan. It also means an arbitrary test to prove membership in a group.

Word History and Origins

Origin of shibboleth¹

From Hebrew shibbōleth literally, “freshet,” a word used by the Gileadites as a test to detect the fleeing Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sound sh (Judges 12:4–6)

Word History and Origins

Origin of shibboleth¹

C14: from Hebrew, literally: ear of grain; the word is used in the Old Testament by the Gileadites as a test word for the Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sound sh

Example Sentences

“Don’t fight the Fed” is a financial market shibboleth most investors learn at a very early stage in their career.

Read more on Barron's

They are opportunists; they saw that nobody was catering to the conservative demographic, so they learned the shibboleths and signs to signal “Hey, I’m one of you!”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent,” is a financial industry shibboleth most investors have learned through a great deal of pain.

Read more on Barron's

Of course conservatives complained about all this constantly and at great length, and sporadically tried to organize boycotts or other counterattacks against such shibboleths as “affirmative action,” “political correctness,” “multiculturalism” and “cultural Marxism.”

Read more on Salon

California Latinos have helped to torpedo liberal shibboleths at the ballot box more often than Democrats will ever admit.

Read more on Los Angeles Times