Hi there. Not a contributor generally to this listserv, but I saw this query and thought I'd try to help. My favorite etymologist, the late one-man tour de force, Eric Partridge, succinctly states the following for his entry on alias/alibi: "alias; alibi: L[atin] alias, otherwise, esp[ecially] otherwise called; L[atin] alibi, elsewhere: both from alius, other." Brackets mine, emphasis his. Alan Messmer News Researcher The Christian Science Monitor One Norway St. Boston, MA 02115 http://www.csmonitor.com > ---------- > From: BettyLou Boysen > Reply To: A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State > history. > Sent: Thursday, January 2, 2003 12:49 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Alias, meaning of > > Honor: > To the best of my knowledge the use of Alias in the mid 17th Century > and > prior refers to the use of an assumed name. I am still trying to unravel > the > "alias" attachment that I have encountered. > > BettyLou > >