Alibi

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/

Definitions

1. A justification asserting a person's presence in another location during a specific incident serves to exonerate them from involvement in that event
2. It is an explanation used to indicate that someone was at a different place when an alleged wrongdoing took place
3. Evidence or a statement showing someone was in a different place at the time a crime happened, suggesting they were not involved

Etymology: Latin "alibi" is a simple adverb meaning "elsewhere" or "at another place," built from "alius" ("other"), with the locative ending "-bi" that marks place. Its use as a legal term comes from the courtroom. A defendant who claims to have been somewhere else when a crime happened is saying, in effect, "I was elsewhere," and that plea gave the Latin adverb its modern sense. English took the word in the 18th century, and it appears first in French, where the same legal use had been recorded since the late 14th century. English likely picked it up from French rather than straight from Latin, which is why the modern sense of proof of another location came with it. The word's meaning has stayed close to that original courtroom idea.

Synonyms: excuse, defense, justification, explanation, plea

Antonyms: accusation, blame, guilt, culpability, fault