Etymology

alibi

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Today it means: 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. Full definition →

Latin alibī ← French alibi
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The story

  1. French · derived fromalibi
  2. Latin · borrowed fromalibī“elsewhere, at another place”
  3. English todayalibi

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.