Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1600-1700
Language: Hebrew
Origin: 'stream', used (according to the Bible) by the Gileadite people as a way of recognizing their enemies, who could not pronounce the sh properly

shibboleth

 noun
     
shib‧bo‧leth [countable] formal
an old idea, custom, or principle that you think is no longer important or suitable for modern times
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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