shibboleth

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʃɪbəlɛθ/, /ˈʃɪbələθ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Biblical Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת (šibbōleṯ, “stream, flood; ear of grain”).^{[2][3][4][5][6]} In Judges 12:4–6 the Gileadites used the word as a test to identify fleeing Ephraimites, who could not pronounce the sh sound and said sibboleth.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The Hebrew test word itself, in the Wycliffite Bible (before 1382, as Sebolech).^[3][7][4]

Semantic evolution

From 1638 the word was used figuratively for a catchword or formula by which the members of a party or sect could be told apart.^[3][5][7][4] It was then applied to any word that outsiders cannot pronounce correctly (1658), to a telltale feature of pronunciation (1663), and to customs or dress that mark a group (1806).^[7][4] By 1862 it could also mean an outmoded slogan still clung to,^[4] and Merriam-Webster gives a sense of a truism or platitude.^[5]

Timeline

• before 1382 – Sebolech, the biblical test word.^[3]
• 1535 – Schiboleth.^[3]
• 1638 – catchword of a party or sect.^[3][5][7]
• 1658 – a word used to detect outsiders.^[7]
• 1663 – a telltale peculiarity of pronunciation.^[7]
• 1806 – a custom or mode of dress that marks a group.^[7]
• 1862 – an outdated slogan still adhered to.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A word, pronunciation or usage that distinguishes one group of people from another.
2. A custom or practice that marks someone as an insider or an outsider.
3. A catchword or slogan associated with a party or cause, often regarded as empty.
4. A commonplace belief or saying with little real meaning; a platitude.

Related words

• password
• watchword
• catchword

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press