A shibboleth (/ˈʃɪbəˌlɛθ, -əlᵻθ/), in its original signification and in a meaning it still bears today, is a word or custom whose variations in pronunciation or style can be used to differentiate members of ingroups from those of outgroups. Within the mindset of the ingroup, a connotation or value judgment of correct/incorrect or superior/inferior can be ascribed to the two variants.
In contemporary usage the word has acquired an extended meaning which is often cited first (and sometimes even exclusively) in shorter dictionaries, namely, an old belief or saying which is cited repetitively or unreflectively but which is, or may be, fallacious or untrue. As an illustration of this usage the Concise Oxford Dictionary cites "[We] must abandon outdated shibboleths".
Origin
The term originates from the Hebrew word shibbólet (שִׁבֹּלֶת), 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". The modern use derives from an account in the Hebrew Bible, in which pronunciation of this word was used to distinguish Ephraimites, whose dialect lacked a /ʃ/phoneme (as in shoe), from Gileadites, whose dialect did include such a phoneme.
Shibboleth is a single sign-on (log-in) system for computer networks and the Internet. It allows people to sign in using just one identity to various systems run by federations of different organizations or institutions. The federations are often universities or public service organizations.
The Shibboleth Internet2middleware initiative created an architecture and open-source implementation for identity management and federated identity-based authentication and authorization (or access control) infrastructure based on Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML). Federated identity allows the sharing of information about users from one security domain to the other organizations in a federation. This allows for cross-domain single sign-on and removes the need for content providers to maintain user names and passwords. Identity providers (IdPs) supply user information, while service providers (SPs) consume this information and give access to secure content.
History
The Shibboleth project was started in 2000 under the MACE working group to address problems in sharing resources between organizations with often wildly different authentication and authorization infrastructures. Architectural work was performed for over a year prior to any development. After an alpha, two betas, and two point releases were distributed to testing communities, Shibboleth 1.0 was released on July 1, 2003. Shibboleth 1.3 was released on August 26, 2005, with several point releases since then. Shibboleth 2.0 was released on March 19, 2008.
First word. LIKE the word "democracy," the term "public" is so widely and universally used that any deviation from orthodox usage causes a commotion ... Journalism's legend ... And this is not all ... He wrote. ... It is an abstraction ... The shibboleths of democracy.
"Office mandates are never going to work." ... And working hard together in an office creates bonds that can't be so easily formed over an internet connection.The office shibboleth ... The truth is that in-office work is a shibboleth ... A year ago, he said ... ....
In the campus protests over the war in Gaza, language and rhetoric are—as they have always been when it comes to Israel and Palestine—weapons of mass destruction ... .
A shibboleth is a test of whether you are part of an in-group or not ... I have a shibboleth for identifying Okies--at least my brand of Okies because there are groups within groups within groups ... Their own shibboleth.
The long-past-menopause woman in a lightweight parka searches for the right way to express the disdain she feels about the young, single women she imagines. They’re having sex willy-nilly and scheduling abortions like manicures ... 7 ballot ... 17 ... Disclaimer.
Shibboleth in Hebrew means \u2018ear of grain\u2019 (the part of a cereal plant which contains its flowers or seeds) ... The test was to pronounce the word shibboleth.
In his Dec. 4 column, Ted Diadiun writes about those who would make it difficult for people of faith during the holidays (”In matters of faith, it’s better to be kind than superior”). When I read the headline, I thought I might agree with him for once.
