alibi

See also: Alibi and álibi

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^(key): /ˈæl.ə.baɪ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

alibi (plural alibis)

2. (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

   • 1959, Danny Dill and Marijohn Wilkin, “Long Black Veil”:

     The judge said, “Son, what is your alibi? If you were somewhere else, then you won’t have to die.”

   • 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.

4. (sometimes proscribed) An excuse, especially one used to avoid responsibility or blame.
   • 1984, Jocelyn Brown, “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. A bad alibi may be said to be implausible or paper-thin or to not hold/tread water.
• 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

criminal legal defense

Arabic: دَفْع بِالْغَائِبَة m (dafʕ bi-l-ḡāʔiba), حُجَّة غِيَاب f (ḥujja(t) ḡiyāb) Armenian: ալիբի (hy) (alibi), այլուրեքություն (hy) (aylurekʻutʻyun) Belarusian: а́лібі n (álibi) Catalan: coartada, àlibi (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 不在場證明 / 不在场证明 (zh) (bùzàichǎng zhèngmíng) Czech: alibi (cs) n Danish: alibi (da) Dutch: alibi (nl) n Esperanto: alibio Finnish: alibi (fi) French: alibi (fr) m German: Alibi (de) n Greek: άλλοθι (el) n (állothi) Hungarian: alibi (hu) Icelandic: fjarvistarsönnun (is) f Indonesian: alibi (id) Italian: alibi (it) m Japanese: アリバイ (ja) (aribai), 現場不在証明 (げんじょうふざいしょうめい, genjōfuzaishōmei) Kannada: ಅಲಿಬಿ (alibi) Korean: 알리바이 (ko) (allibai), 알리비 (allibi), 현장부재증명(現場不在證明) (hyeonjangbujaejeungmyeong) Lao: ຫຼັກຖານທີ່ຢູ່ (lak thān thī yū) Marathi: अन्यत्र उपस्थिति (anyatra upasthiti) Norwegian: alibi (no) Polish: alibi (pl) n Portuguese: álibi (pt) m Russian: а́либи (ru) n (álibi) Serbo-Croatian: alibi m Slovak: alibi n Spanish: coartada (es) f Swedish: alibi (sv) n Thai: หลักฐานที่อยู่ Ukrainian: а́лібі (uk) n (álibi)

excuse

Arabic: عُذْر m (ʕuḏr) Chinese: Mandarin: 藉口 / 借口 (zh) (jièkǒu) Danish: please add this translation if you can Finnish: veruke (fi) German: Alibi (de) n, Rechtfertigung (de) f, Ausrede (de) f, Entschuldigung (de) f Greek: άλλοθι (el) n (állothi), δικαιολογία (el) f (dikaiología) Italian: alibi (it) m Polish: alibi (pl) n Portuguese: desculpa (pt) f Spanish: excusa (es) f

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To provide an alibi for.
2. (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

Danish

Etymology

From Latin alibī.

Noun

alibi n (singular definite alibiet, plural indefinite alibier)

1. (law) alibi
2. (by extension) excuse, justification

Declension

Declension of alibi

neuter gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	alibi	alibiet	alibier	alibierne
genitive	alibis	alibiets	alibiers	alibiernes

References

• “alibi” in Den Danske Ordbog

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑlibi/, [ˈɑ̝libi]
• Rhymes: -ɑlibi
• Syllabification^(key): a‧li‧bi
• Hyphenation^(key): ali‧bi

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

• “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 2 July 2023

French

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.li.bi/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Saint-Étienne)):

  (file)

Noun

alibi m (plural alibis or (archaic) alibi)

1. alibi

Further reading

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