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alibi

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al⋅i⋅bi

  [al-uh-bahy] noun, plural -bis, verb
Use alibi in a Sentence
–noun
1. Law. the defense by an accused person of having been elsewhere at the time an alleged offense was committed.
2. an excuse, esp. to avoid blame.
3. a person used as one's excuse: My sick grandmother was my alibi for missing school.
–verb (used without object)
4. Informal. to give an excuse; offer a defense: to alibi for being late.
–verb (used with object)
5. Informal.
a. to provide an alibi for (someone): He alibied his friend out of a fix.
b. to make or find (one's way) by using alibis: to alibi one's way out of work.
Origin:
1720–30; < L alibī (adv.): in or at another place

Synonyms:
2. explanation, reason, justification.

Usage note:
Alibi in Latin is an adverb meaning “in or at another place.” Its earliest English uses, in the 18th century, are in legal contexts, both as an adverb and as a noun meaning “a plea of having been elsewhere.” The extended noun senses “excuse” and “person used as one's excuse” developed in the 20th century in the United States and occur in all but the most formal writing. As a verb alibi occurs mainly in informal use.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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al·i·bi   (āl'ə-bī')   
n.   pl. al·i·bis

  1. Law

    1. A form of defense whereby a defendant attempts to prove that he or she was elsewhere when the crime in question was committed.

    2. The fact of having been elsewhere when a crime in question was committed.

  2. Usage Problem An explanation offered to avoid blame or justify action; an excuse.

v.   al·i·bied, al·i·bi·ing, al·i·bis Usage Problem

v.   intr.
To make an excuse for oneself.
v.   tr.
To make an excuse for (another).

[Latin, elsewhere, from alius, other (on the model of ibi, there); see al-1 in Indo-European roots.]
Usage Note: When used as a noun, alibi in its nonlegal sense of "an excuse" is acceptable in written usage to almost half of the Usage Panel. As a verb (they never alibi), it is unacceptable in written usage to a large majority of the Panel.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

alibi 
1743, "the plea of having been elsewhere when an action took place," from L. alibi "elsewhere," locative of alius "(an)other" (see alias). The weakened sense of "excuse" is attested since 1912, but technically any proof of innocence that doesn't involve being "elsewhere" is an excuse, not an alibi.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: al·i·bi
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, elsewhere, from alius other
: a defense of having been somewhere other than at the scene of a crime at the time the crime was committed; also : the fact or state of having been elsewhere at the time a crime was committed
NOTE: Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 12.1 requires the defendant to provide notice upon written demand of an intention to offer a defense of alibi. Likewise, the prosecution must provide to the defendant upon written demand the names of witnesses that will be used to rebut the defense.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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