Shibboleth

A shibboleth (/ˈʃɪbəlɛθ, -ɪθ/ (listen))^[1][2] was originally a single word which distinguished one group from another.^[3][4][5]

Rather more widely, it is any custom or tradition that distinguishes one group of people from another. Shibboleths have been used throughout history in many societies as passwords. They are simple ways of self-identification: they signal loyalty and affinity.

1. ↑ Jones, Daniel (2003) [1917], Peter Roach; James Hartmann; Jane Setter (eds.), English Pronouncing Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 3-12-539683-2
2. ↑ "Shibboleth". Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
3. ↑ Concise Oxford Dictionary, 8th ed, (Oxford University Press, 1990), 1117.
4. ↑ Merriam-Webster Dictionary, shibboleth, accessed online 22 September 2015.
5. ↑ Collins English Dictionary, shibboleth, accessed online 22 September 2015.