shibboleth

/ˈʃɪbələθ/

Other forms: shibboleths

A shibboleth is like a motto or catchphrase that members of a group tend to say, like the conservative shibboleth that the only good government is a small government.

Shibboleth is a Hebrew word that means "ear of corn" or "flood." In a Biblical story, the word was used as a password — a means to figure out who was part of your group and who wasn't. It still has that sense of identifying someone as a member of a group. Sometimes it also means "platitude" or "truism," a phrase that is so common everyone thinks it's true, like "crime doesn't pay," or "better late than never."

Definitions of shibboleth

1. noun

   a favorite saying of a sect or political group
   synonyms: catchword, motto, slogan

   types:

   catch phrase, catchphrase

   a phrase that has become a catchword

   mantra

   a commonly repeated word or phrase

   battle cry, cry, rallying cry, war cry, watchword

   a slogan used to rally support for a cause

   type of:

   expression, locution, saying

   a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
2. noun

   a manner of speaking that is distinctive of a particular group of people
   type of:

   delivery, manner of speaking, speech

   your characteristic style or manner of expressing yourself orally