shibboleth

noun /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/

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 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.

Where it comes from

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.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry shibboleth (CC BY-SA 4.0).

← sheriffwickshill →

Another random word More words starting with S