Shibboleth is any language usage indicative of one's social or regional origin, or more broadly, any practice that identifies members of a group. Origin The term originates from the Hebrew word "shibboleth", which literally means the part of a plant containing grains, such as an ear of corn or a stalk of grain or, in different contexts, "stream, torrent" It derives from an account in the Hebrew Bible, in which pronunciation of this word was used to distinguish members of a group (the Ephraimite… (More on Shibboleth)