alibi

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See also: Alibi and álibi

English

Etymology

18th century, from Latin alibī (“elsewhere, at another place”, adverb). Probably after French alibi, which has this use since the late 14th century.

Pronunciation

  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

alibi (plural alibis)

  1. (law) The plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
    to set up an alibi
    to prove an alibi
    • 1988, Criminal Law Deskbook, →ISBN:
      Alibi is different from all of the other defenses . . . it is based upon the premise that the defendant is truly innocent.
  2. (sometimes proscribed) An excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.

Usage notes

  • A very good alibi might be described e.g. as perfect, watertight, airtight, solid or iron-clad.
  • Some argue "alibi" should not be used colloquially to mean "an explanation or excuse to avoid blame or justify action," since this sense is unrelated to the word's original meaning of "elsewhere."

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

alibi (third-person singular simple present alibis or alibies, present participle alibiing, simple past and past participle alibied)

  1. To provide an alibi for.
  2. To provide an excuse for.

See also

Anagrams

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibī.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈaː.liˌbi/
  • Audio(file)
  • Hyphenation: ali‧bi

Noun

alibi n or m (plural alibi's, diminutive alibietje n)

  1. alibi

Descendants

  • → Indonesian: alibi

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibi.

Pronunciation

Noun

alibi

  1. alibi

Declension

Inflection of alibi (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative alibi alibit
genitive alibin alibien
partitive alibia alibeja
illative alibiin alibeihin
singular plural
nominative alibi alibit
accusative nom. alibi alibit
gen. alibin
genitive alibin alibien
partitive alibia alibeja
inessive alibissa alibeissa
elative alibista alibeista
illative alibiin alibeihin
adessive alibilla alibeilla
ablative alibilta alibeilta
allative alibille alibeille
essive alibina alibeina
translative alibiksi alibeiksi
abessive alibitta alibeitta
instructive — alibein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of alibi (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alibini alibini
accusative nom. alibini alibini
gen. alibini
genitive alibini alibieni
partitive alibiani alibejani
inessive alibissani alibeissani
elative alibistani alibeistani
illative alibiini alibeihini
adessive alibillani alibeillani
ablative alibiltani alibeiltani
allative alibilleni alibeilleni
essive alibinani alibeinani
translative alibikseni alibeikseni
abessive alibittani alibeittani
instructive — —
comitative — alibeineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative alibisi alibisi
accusative nom. alibisi alibisi
gen. alibisi
genitive alibisi alibiesi
partitive alibiasi alibejasi
inessive alibissasi alibeissasi
elative alibistasi alibeistasi
illative alibiisi alibeihisi
adessive alibillasi alibeillasi
ablative alibiltasi alibeiltasi
allative alibillesi alibeillesi
essive alibinasi alibeinasi
translative alibiksesi alibeiksesi
abessive alibittasi alibeittasi
instructive — —
comitative — alibeinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative alibimme alibimme
accusative nom. alibimme alibimme
gen. alibimme
genitive alibimme alibiemme
partitive alibiamme alibejamme
inessive alibissamme alibeissamme
elative alibistamme alibeistamme
illative alibiimme alibeihimme
adessive alibillamme alibeillamme
ablative alibiltamme alibeiltamme
allative alibillemme alibeillemme
essive alibinamme alibeinamme
translative alibiksemme alibeiksemme
abessive alibittamme alibeittamme
instructive — —
comitative — alibeinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative alibinne alibinne
accusative nom. alibinne alibinne
gen. alibinne
genitive alibinne alibienne
partitive alibianne alibejanne
inessive alibissanne alibeissanne
elative alibistanne alibeistanne
illative alibiinne alibeihinne
adessive alibillanne alibeillanne
ablative alibiltanne alibeiltanne
allative alibillenne alibeillenne
essive alibinanne alibeinanne
translative alibiksenne alibeiksenne
abessive alibittanne alibeittanne
instructive — —
comitative — alibeinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative alibinsa alibinsa
accusative nom. alibinsa alibinsa
gen. alibinsa
genitive alibinsa alibiensa
partitive alibiaan
alibiansa 		alibejaan
alibejansa
inessive alibissaan
alibissansa 		alibeissaan
alibeissansa
elative alibistaan
alibistansa 		alibeistaan
alibeistansa
illative alibiinsa alibeihinsa
adessive alibillaan
alibillansa 		alibeillaan
alibeillansa
ablative alibiltaan
alibiltansa 		alibeiltaan
alibeiltansa
allative alibilleen
alibillensa 		alibeilleen
alibeillensa
essive alibinaan
alibinansa 		alibeinaan
alibeinansa
translative alibikseen
alibiksensa 		alibeikseen
alibeiksensa
abessive alibittaan
alibittansa 		alibeittaan
alibeittansa
instructive — —
comitative — alibeineen
alibeinensa

Further reading

French

Etymology

From Middle French alibi (14th c.), borrowed from Latin alibī.

Pronunciation

Noun

alibi m (plural alibis or (archaic) alibi)

  1. alibi

Further reading

Indonesian

Indonesian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia id

Etymology

From Dutch alibi, from Latin alibī (“elsewhere, at another place”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key):
  • Hyphenation: ali‧bi

Noun

alibi (first-person possessive alibiku, second-person possessive alibimu, third-person possessive alibinya)

  1. alibi:
    1. (law) the plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed.
    2. (slang) excuse
      Synonym: alasan

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibi.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈa.li.bi/
  • Rhymes: -alibi
  • Hyphenation: à‧li‧bi

Noun

alibi m (invariable)

  1. alibi

Anagrams

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

From alius (“other, another”) +‎ ibī.

Pronunciation

Adverb

alibī (not comparable)

  1. elsewhere, somewhere else

Related terms

Latin correlatives (edit)
type demonstrative anaphoric identity interrogative/
relative		 indefinite negative other
proximal medial distal relative indefinite universal free choice negative polarity
basic hic iste, istic ille, illic is ipse, īdem quis/quī quisquis, quīcumque quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam quisque quīvis, quīlibet quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam nēmō, nihil, nūllus alius
dual uter utercumque alteruter uterque utervīs, uterlibet neuter alter
place hīc istīc illīc ibī̆ ibī̆dem ubī̆ ubiubi, ubī̆cumque alicubī, uspiam ubīque ubivīs, ubilibet usquam nusquam, nūllibī alibī, aliās
source hinc istinc illinc inde indidem unde undecumque, undeunde alicunde undique °undelibet aliunde
destination hūc, °hōrsum istūc, °istōrsum illūc, °illōrsum eō eōdem quō, quōrsum quōquō, quōcumque aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum quōvīs, quōlibet quōquam nusquam, nūllōrsum aliō, aliōrsum
method,
means,
path,
place 		hāc istāc illāc eā eādem quā quāquā, quācumque aliquā quāque quāvīs, quālibet nēquāquam, haudquāquam aliā
manner hōc modō istō modō illō modō ita, sīc,
eō modō		 item, itidem ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō utique quōmodolibet ūllō modō nūllō modō aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time num, nunc ōlim tum, tunc simul quandō, ‡cum cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque quondam, aliquandō quandōque quandōlibet umquam numquam aliās
quantity tam †tamen, †tandem quam †quamquam aliquam quamvīs, quamlibet
size tantus tantusdem quantus quantuscumque aliquantus quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque aliquālis quālislibet
number tot totidem quot quotquot, quotcumque aliquot quotlibet
order totus quotus quotuscumque aliquotus quotuslibet
repetition totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque aliquotiēns quotiēnslibet
multiplication totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare
‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

Descendants

References

  • “alibi”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “alibi”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • alibi in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alibī. First attested in 1802.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aˈli.bi/
  • Audio(file)
  • Rhymes: -ibi
  • Syllabification: a‧li‧bi

Noun

alibi n (indeclinable)

  1. (law) alibi (plea or mode of defense under which a person on trial for a crime proves or attempts to prove being in another place when the alleged act was committed)
  2. (literary) alibi (excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame)

Derived terms

nouns

Collocations

Collocations
  • wygodne alibi ― a convenient alibi
  • niezbite alibi ― an irrefutable alibi
  • żelazne alibi ― an iron-clad/cast-iron alibi
  • swoiste alibi ― a peculiar alibi
  • stuprocentowe alibi ― an airtight alibi
  • murowane alibi ― a rock-solid alibi
  • wiarygodne alibi ― a credible alibi
  • mocne alibi ― a strong alibi
  • fałszywe alibi ― a false/fake alibi
  • doskonałe alibi ― a perfect alibi
  • świetne alibi ― a great alibi
  • moralne alibi ― a moral alibi
  • kiepskie alibi ― a lousy/flimsy alibi
  • dobre alibi ― a good alibi
  • znakomite alibi ― a great alibi
  • sensowne alibi ― a sensible/logical alibi
  • polityczne alibi ― a political alibi
  • alibi oskarżonego/oskarżonej ― the accused's alibi
  • mieć alibi ― to have alibi
  • zapewnić/dostarczać/dostarczyć/podać alibi ― to provide an alibi
  • szukać alibi ― to look for an alibi
  • sprawdzać/sprawdzić alibi ― to verify/check an alibi
  • stanowić alibi ― to be alibi
  • stwarzać/stworzyć alibi ― to craft an alibi
  • przedstawiać/przedstawić alibi ― to present an alibi
  • obalić alibi ― to bust/crack/disprove an alibi
  • dawać/dać alibi ― to give alibi
  • potwierdzić alibi ― to confirm/corroborate alibi
  • wymyślić alibi ― to come up with/think up/concoct an alibi
  • stracić alibi ― to lose an alibi
  • potrzebować alibi ― to need an alibi
  • znaleźć alibi ― to find an alibi
  • uzyskać alibi ― to get an alibi

References

  1. ^ Mirosław Bańko, Lidia Wiśniakowska (2021) “alibi”, in Wielki słownik wyrazów obcych, →ISBN
  2. ^ Witold Doroszewski, editor (1958–1969), “alibi”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), Warszawa: PWN
  3. ^ Gazeta Korrespondenta Warszawskiego y Zagranicznego‎ (in Polish), number 74, 1802, page 944
  4. ^ alibi in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French alibi.

Noun

alibi n (plural alibiuri)

  1. alibi

Declension

Declension of alibi
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) alibi alibiul (niște) alibiuri alibiurile
genitive/dative (unui) alibi alibiului (unor) alibiuri alibiurilor
vocative alibiule alibiurilor

Rukai

Noun

alibi

  1. stone tiles of a roof

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

àlībi m (Cyrillic spelling а̀лӣби)

  1. alibi

Declension

Declension of alibi
singular plural
nominative alibi alibiji
genitive alibija alibija
dative alibiju alibijima
accusative alibi alibije
vocative alibi alibiji
locative alibiju alibijima
instrumental alibijem alibijima

Slovak

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibī.

Pronunciation

Noun

alibi n

  1. alibi

Declension

Indeclinable.

Further reading

  • “alibi”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024

Swedish

Noun

alibi n

  1. (law) an alibi
    Hon saknar alibi för mordnatten
    She has no alibi for the night of the murder
  2. (by extension) an alibi (excuse, more generally)

Declension

Declension of alibi 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative alibi alibit alibin alibina
Genitive alibis alibits alibins alibinas

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia