# alibi
## English
### Etymology

From the 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: /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/
* Audio (US):(file)

### Noun

alibi (plural alibis)
* (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.
* (sometimes proscribed) An excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.
** 1984, Jocelyn Brown (lyrics and music), “Somebody Else's Guy”, in Somebody Else's Guy:That day in September, I'm sure you can remember / That's when all the stuff hit the fan (the stuff hit the fan) / You told me a lie, and you didn't have an alibi / But baby, yet I still cared

#### 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

* alibi copy
* Alibi Ike
* alibiless
* nonalibi
* unalibied

#### Translations
### Verb

alibi (third-person singular simple present alibis or alibies, present participle alibiing, simple past and past participle alibied)
* (transitive) To provide an alibi for.
* (transitive) To provide an excuse for.

### See also

* Alibi on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Defense (legal) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Locked-room mystery on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Perfect murder on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

### Anagrams

* baili

## Dutch
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibī.

### Pronunciation

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

### Noun

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

#### Descendants

* → Indonesian: alibi

## Finnish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibi.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɑlibi/, [ˈɑ̝libi]
* Rhymes: -ɑlibi
* Hyphenation: ali‧bi

### Noun

alibi
* alibi

#### Declension

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

* “alibi”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## French
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /a.li.bi/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

alibi m (plural alibis or (archaic) alibi)
* alibi

### Further reading

* “alibi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Indonesian
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈali.bi]
* Hyphenation: ali‧bi

### Noun

alibi (plural alibi-alibi)
* alibi:
** (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.
** (slang) excuse
    Synonym: alasan

### Further reading

* “alibi” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Italian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibi.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈa.li.bi/
* Rhymes: -alibi
* Hyphenation: à‧li‧bi

### Noun

alibi m (invariable)
* alibi

### Anagrams

* Libia, abili, bilia

## Latin
### Alternative forms

* aliubi (rare)

### Etymology

From alius (“other, another”) +‎ ibī.

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈa.li.biː/, [ˈälʲɪbiː]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈa.li.bi/, [ˈäːlibi]

### Adverb

alibī (not comparable)
* elsewhere, somewhere else

#### Related terms

| type | demonstrative | demonstrative | demonstrative | anaphoric | identity | interrogative/ relative | indefinite | indefinite | indefinite | indefinite | indefinite | negative | other |
| type | proximal | medial | distal | anaphoric | identity | interrogative/ relative | relative | indefinite | free choice | universal | negative polarity | negative | other |
| basic | hic | iste, istic | ille, illic | is | ipse, īdem | quis/quī | quisquis, quīcumque | quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam | quīvis, quīlibet | quisque | quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam | nēmō, nihil, nūllus | alius |
| dual | | | | | | uter | utercumque | alteruter | utervīs, uterlibet | uterque | | neuter | alter |
| place | hīc | istīc | illīc | ibī̆ | ibī̆dem | ubī̆ | ubiubi, ubī̆cumque | alicubī, uspiam | ubivīs, ubilibet | ubīque | usquam | nusquam, nūllibī | alibī, aliās |
| source | hinc | istinc | illinc | inde | indidem | unde | undecumque, undeunde | alicunde | °undelibet | undique | | | 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 | quāvīs, quālibet | quāque | | 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 | quōmodolibet | utīque | ūllō modō | nūllō modō | aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō |
| time | num, nunc | | ōlim | tum, tunc | simul | quandō, ‡cum | cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque | quondam, aliquandō | quandōlibet | quandōque | 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

* → English: alibi
* → Danish: alibi
* → Dutch: alibi
* → Finnish: alibi
* → French: alibi
* → German: Alibi
* → Italian: alibi
* → Norwegian: alibi
* → Polish: alibi (learned)
* → Portuguese: álibi
* → Romanian: alibi, aiurea
* → Russian: а́либи (álibi)
* → Spanish: álibi
* → Swedish: alibi

### 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
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin alibī. First attested in 1802.

### Pronunciation

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

### Noun

alibi n (indeclinable)
* (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)
* (literary) alibi (excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame)

#### Derived terms

* alibista
* alibizm

#### 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

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

### Further reading

* alibi in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* alibi in Polish dictionaries at PWN
* J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “alibi”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 24

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from French alibi.

### Noun

alibi n (plural alibiuri)
* alibi

#### Declension
## Rukai
### Noun

alibi
* stone tiles of a roof

## Serbo-Croatian
### Noun

àlībi m (Cyrillic spelling а̀лӣби)
* alibi

#### Declension
## Slovak
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin alibī.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈalibi/

### Noun

alibi n
* 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, 2003–2025

## Swedish
### Noun

alibi n
* (law) alibi
    Hon saknar alibi för mordnattenShe has no alibi for the night of the murder
* (by extension) an alibi (excuse, more generally)

#### Declension
### References

* alibi in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* alibi in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* alibi in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)