shibboleth

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shibboleth Heb. word used by Jephthah as a test word to distinguish the fleeing Ephraimites, who could not pronounce sh, from his own men, the Gileadites (Judges 2: 4–6) XIV; (gen.) word used as a test for detecting foreigners; catch-word adopted by a party XVII. — Heb. šibbōleth stream.

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