A word, phrase, or custom used to distinguish one group from another; a test of belonging; also, a commonly held belief that is outdated.
From Hebrew 'shibboleth' (ear of corn/stream). In the Bible (Judges 12:6), Gileadites used this word to identify enemy Ephraimites, who couldn't pronounce 'sh' — saying 'sibboleth' instead. It was a fatal password.
The original LANGUAGE PASSWORD! In the Bible, they used this word to catch enemies — if you couldn't say 'sh,' you were killed! Now it means any test of group membership. Every group has shibboleths — slang, jargon, pronunciation! 🔑⚔ï¸
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.