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shib⋅bo⋅leth
[shib-uh-lith, ‑leth] 
| 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. |
< Heb shibbōleth lit., 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)
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| shib·bo·leth (shĭb'ə-lĭth, -lěth') n.
[Ultimately from Hebrew šibbōlet, torrent of water, from the use of this word to distinguish one tribe from another that pronounced it sibbōlet (Judges 12:4-6).] |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Shibboleth
Shib"bo*leth\, n. [Heb. shibb[=o]leth an ear of corn, or a stream, a flood.]1. A word which was made the criterion by which to distinguish the Ephraimites from the Gileadites. The Ephraimites, not being able to pronounce sh, called the word sibboleth. See --Judges xii. Without reprieve, adjudged to death, For want of well pronouncing shibboleth. --Milton. Also in an extended sense. The th, with its twofold value, is . . . the shibboleth of foreigners. --Earle. 2. Hence, the criterion, test, or watchword of a party; a party cry or pet phrase.Cite This Source
shibboleth [(shib-uh-luhth, shib-uh-leth)]
In the Old Testament, shibboleth was a password used by the Israelites. It was chosen because their enemies could not pronounce it.
Note: By extension, a shibboleth is an often-repeated slogan. It also means an arbitrary test to prove membership in a group.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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shibboleth
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Shibboleth
river, or an ear of corn. The tribes living on the east of Jordan, separated from their brethren on the west by the deep ravines and the rapid river, gradually came to adopt peculiar customs, and from mixing largely with the Moabites, Ishmaelites, and Ammonites to pronounce certain letters in such a manner as to distinguish them from the other tribes. Thus when the Ephraimites from the west invaded Gilead, and were defeated by the Gileadites under the leadership of Jephthah, and tried to escape by the "passages of the Jordan," the Gileadites seized the fords and would allow none to pass who could not pronounce "shibboleth" with a strong aspirate. This the fugitives were unable to do. They said "sibboleth," as the word was pronounced by the tribes on the west, and thus they were detected (Judg. 12:1-6). Forty-two thousand were thus detected, and "Without reprieve, adjudged to death, For want of well-pronouncing shibboleth."
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Shibboleth
city, seat (1855) of Cerro Gordo county, northern Iowa, U.S., along the Winnebago River, about 120 miles (195 km) north of Des Moines. The area was inhabited by Winnebago and Sioux peoples when Freemasons arrived to settle the site in 1853; its earlier names were Shibboleth, Masonic Grove, and Masonville before the present name was adopted. The city is underlain by deposits of clay and limestone, and large quantities of sand and gravel are also available, hence it long has supported a substantial cement industry.
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