Where does “shibboleth” come from?
Shibboleth comes from Hebrew שִׁבֹּלֶת, a word of uncertain origin and meaning that entered English through biblical and historical usage.
shibboleth (English): A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish...
Definitions
- A word, especially seen as a test, to distinguish...
Ancestry of “shibboleth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hebrew | שיבולת | an ear of wheat; a shibboleth; a vortex, a... |
| 2 | Proto-Semitic | *šu(n)bulat- | — |