alumnus

American  

[uh-luhm-nuhs] / əˈlʌm nəs /

noun

plural

alumni

1. a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university, especially a man.

   As an alumnus of this university myself, I am proud to dedicate its new building.

2. a former associate, employee, member, or the like.

   He invited all the alumni of the library staff to the party.

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alumnus British  

/ əˈlʌmnəs /

noun

1. a graduate of a school, college, etc

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Usage

What’s the difference between alumnus and alumni? An alumnus is a graduate of a school, such as a high school or university. The plural of alumnus is alumni (which follows the plural ending construction used in other Latin-derived words, like stimulus and stimuli). In Latin, alumnus specifically refers to a male graduate, and sometimes this distinction is carried into English, with alumna being used to refer to a female graduate. The plural of alumna is alumnae. Still, alumnus and alumni are both commonly used in a gender-neutral way. The informal shortening alum is used to refer to a single graduate (regardless of gender). It’s sometimes pluralized as alums. Here’s an example of alumnus and alumni used correctly in the same sentence. Example: As an alumnus, you share something with all of the alumni, regardless of when each of you graduated. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between alumnus and alumni.

Gender

Alumnus (in Latin a masculine noun) usually refers to a male graduate or former student; the plural is alumni. An alumna (in Latin a feminine noun) refers to a female graduate or former student; the plural is alumnae. Traditionally, the masculine plural alumni has been used for mixed gender groups and is still widely so used: the alumni of Indiana University. Sometimes, to avoid any suggestion of sexism, both terms are used for mixed groups: the alumni/alumnae of Indiana University or the alumni and alumnae of Indiana University. Some people use the less formal abbreviation alum and its plural alums to avoid the complexities of the Latin forms and their unfamiliar gender inflection. Others use the terms graduate and graduates, though they are not quite equivalent in meaning, to eliminate the use of a masculine plural form to refer to all genders.

Etymology

Origin of alumnus

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin: “foster son, pupil,” equivalent to al- (stem of alere “to suckle, feed, support”) + -u- (from stem-vowel *-o- in interior syllable) + -m(i)nus, originally passive participial suffix, akin to Greek -menos; cf. adult ( def. ), alimony

Explanation

An alumnus is a graduate of a school. You can be an alumnus of a high school, college or university. Want to be an alumnus? Then you'd better study hard and graduate: an alumnus has received a diploma or degree from a school. You've probably heard of some famous or successful alumni (the plural of alumnus from your own school: schools tend to be proud of students who have gone on to do well. Schools also like to ask each alumnus (famous or not) to give back to the school — usually monetarily.

Example Sentences

"There is a clear need to develop bitter blockers that are able to suppress the bitterness of many medications," said co-author Carol Christensen, PhD, Monell Alumnus Faculty Member.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

But evidence of a link between Stradivari and Amati has remained stubbornly tenuous: One violin made by Stradivari bears a label reading “Antonius Stradiuarius Cremonensis Alumnus Nicolaij Amati, Faciebat Anno 1666.”

From New York Times • Jun. 8, 2022

Michael Walsh, another student at Georgetown Prep student, also wrote "Renate Alumnus" on his yearbook page, The Times reports.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2018

Baltimore’s longtime head athletic trainer, Richie Bancells, is away from the team for two days to receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Eastern Kentucky University.

From Washington Times • Apr. 23, 2015

Tom Bolles cheerily loaded them onto the Alumnus, then transported them to the student ferry.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Related Words

• alum
• graduate