Alibi Is Latin for Elsewhere
An alibi is evidence that someone was somewhere else. The word is a Latin adverb meaning elsewhere, and it entered English through law.
An alibi is evidence that a person was elsewhere when a crime was committed. The word is not a noun at all in Latin but an adverb, *alibi*, meaning elsewhere — English lawyers used the Latin term for the plea and then turned it into a noun. The loose sense of any excuse is twentieth-century and still disliked by careful writers.
- Proof of being elsewhere. *A solid alibi.*
- An excuse (informal). *He always has an alibi.*
- Verb, to provide an alibi. *She alibied for him.*
- Cast-iron alibi — one that cannot be broken. *A cast-iron alibi.*
- Latin sense — elsewhere. *Alibi means elsewhere.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | alibi | A weak alibi. |
| Plural | alibis | Their alibis. |
| Verb | alibi | He alibied his friend. |
| Latin | alibi | Elsewhere. |
| Related | alias | Under an alias. |
- His alibi was confirmed by three witnesses.Legal.
- That is an alibi, not a reason.The loose sense.
- Alibi is Latin for elsewhere.Etymology.
Latin words English uses as nouns
- Alibi — an adverb meaning elsewhere
- Alias — an adverb meaning otherwise
- Veto — a verb, I forbid
- Deficit — a verb, it is lacking
- Exit — a verb, he or she goes out
Latin *alibi*, elsewhere, from *alius*, other. English used it in legal contexts from the 1700s and as a general noun soon after.
Does alibi just mean excuse?
Not strictly. An alibi is evidence of having been somewhere else. Using it for any excuse is common but imprecise.
Is alias related?
Yes. Both come from Latin alius, other. Alias means otherwise, as in otherwise called.