alumna

[uh-luhm-nuh]

noun

plural

alumnae 

1. a woman who is a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university.

alumna

/ əˈlʌmnə /

noun

1. a female graduate of a school, college, etc

Gender Note

What's the difference between alumna, alumnus, and alum? See alumnus.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alumna¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–45; from Latin: literally, “foster daughter, pupil”; feminine of alumnus

Word History and Origins

Origin of alumna¹

C19: feminine of _alumnus

Example Sentences

“Look! It’s Miss Lumley, our distinguished alumna,” one of the girls cried, and the rest circled ’round in excitement.

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"In nonlinear optics, light can be reshaped to create new colors, faster pulses or optical switches that turn signals on and off," said Kunyan Zhang, a Rice doctoral alumna and first author of the study.

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The “Friends” alumna and “Morning Show” star confirmed her rumored relationship with the self-described “hypno-coach” and wellness educator Sunday, wishing him a happy 50th birthday on Instagram.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

One Sherrill weakness may be what she had thought her greatest strength: her past as an Annapolis alumna and Navy helicopter pilot.

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“It’s a very different program to other summers,” said Gallegos, who is an alumna of the program.

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Related Words

• alum 
• graduate 

When To Use

What’s the difference between alumna, alumnus, and alumni?

An alumna is a female graduate of a school, such as a high school or university.In Latin, alumnus specifically refers to a male graduate, and sometimes this distinction is carried into English. However, alumnus is also commonly used in a gender-neutral way, as is its plural, alumni.What is the plural of alumna?The plural of alumna is alumnae. This follows the plural ending construction used in other Latin-derived words, like antenna and antennae.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 alumna and alumnae used correctly in the same sentence.Example: As an alumna, you share something with all of the alumnae, regardless of when each of you graduated. Want to learn more? Read the breakdown of the difference between alumnus and alumni.