Etymology

alias

A1L1I1A1S1

Today it means: Otherwise; at another time; in other circumstances; otherwise called; also known as; formerly known as. Full definition →

Latin alia ← Proto-Italic *aljos ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élyos
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élyos
  3. Proto-Italic*aljos
  4. Latinalius
  5. Latinalia
  6. English todayalias

Learned borrowing from Latin alias (“at another time; at another place, elsewhere, under other circumstances, otherwise”). Doublet of else and allo-. See also alien and alter.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.