alibi
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
alibi /ˈalɪbʌɪ/
▶noun (pl. alibis) a claim or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when an alleged act took place.
■ informal an excuse.
▶verb (alibis, alibiing, alibied) informal provide an alibi for.– origin C17: from L., ‘elsewhere’.
usage: The word alibi means ‘an assertion by a person that they were elsewhere’. In the 20th century a new sense arose with the meaning ‘an excuse’: this is still regarded as incorrect by some traditionalists.
'alibi' also found in these Oxford entries:
