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shibboleth

[shib-uh-lith, ‑-leth]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.
a slogan; catchword.
a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth.

shibboleth

/ ˈʃɪ��əˌ��ɛθ /

noun

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belief, principle, or practice which is commonly adhered to but which is thought by some people to be inappropriate or out of date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

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

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of shibboleth¹

From Hebrew ��󾱲��ō��ٳ� 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)

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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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

These are ideological shibboleths and by no means “wasteful,” since DOT projects have manifest effects on the welfare of residents in the communities where they’re built or planned and on climate change itself.

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On Fox, Johnson invoked another GOP shibboleth, which is that rooting out fraud, waste and abuse would help keep Medicaid solvent.

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They’re the contrarian at the party who delights in puncturing polite shibboleths, unafraid to take on even their own tribes in pursuit of a deeper truth.

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This isn’t an expression of fact about the border; it’s a shibboleth, designed to communicate that, all things considered, the chamber is still down with Trump’s leadership in general terms.

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The anti-vaccine camp has seized on the threadbare shibboleths of “medical freedom” and “health freedom” — or “bodily autonomy,” as Vance put it.

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Shiba Inu shicer

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