The word for today is…
alibi (noun, verb):
noun
1: the plea of having been at the time of the commission of an act elsewhere than at the place of commission
also : the fact or state of having been elsewhere at the time
2: an excuse usually intended to avert blame or punishment (as for failure or negligence)
3: someone or something that provides a person with an alibi
verb
: to exonerate (someone) by an alibi : to furnish an excuse for
Source : Merriam -Webster
Etymology : In Latin, alibi was an adverb that meant “elsewhere.” When the word was first adopted into English in the 18th century, it was still limited to its adverbial use. A person on trial might be said to prove himself alibi when the crime was committed. By the end of that century, however, alibi had acquired the status of a noun and was used in legal contexts for “the plea of having been elsewhere at the time of the crime.” The meaning of the word was then extended to apply to the fact or state of having been elsewhere when a crime was committed.
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