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Alumnus Vs. Alumni Vs. Alumna Vs. Alumnae Vs. Alum
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alumnus

[ uh-luhm-nuhs ]

/ əˈlʌm nəs /

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See synonyms for: alumnus / alumni on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural a·lum·ni

[uh-luhm-nahy]. /əˈlʌm naɪ/.

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.

a former associate, employee, member, or the like: He invited all the alumni of the library staff to the party.

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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, alimony

usage note for alumnus

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.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alumnus

alum, alumna, alumnae, alumni , alumnus

Words nearby alumnus

aluminum silicate, aluminum soap, aluminum sulfate, alumna, alumni, alumnus, alumnx, Alum Rock, alumroot, Alundum, alunite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

ALUMNUS VS. ALUMNI VS. ALUMNA VS. ALUMNAE VS. ALUM

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.

Quiz yourself on alumnus vs. alumni!

Should alumnus or alumni be used in the following sentence?

The five-year reunion is usually well attended by _____.

How to use alumnus in a sentence

Frustration about the uncertain future also vexed some alumni.
Ivy League sports were shut down quickly by coronavirus. A restart is proving much slower.|Glynn A. Hill|February 10, 2021|Washington Post
Very few campuses had the resources to extend credit to students in the hopes that alumni would earn enough after graduation to pay back the cost of earning their degrees.
Even forgiving student loans won’t solve the higher education funding crisis|Elizabeth Shermer|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
Those alumni all graduated on time from high school, most to study at a two- or four-year college, and others to join the military or begin trade work.
Next One Up wraps teen boys in support and watches them fly|Tatyana Turner|January 19, 2021|Washington Post
Thousands of law school alumni and students push for disbarment of Sens.
157 law deans denounce attempted insurrection and effort to decertify election — but don’t name names|Valerie Strauss|January 12, 2021|Washington Post

One of the important things that I would like to do as dean is to continue to engage alumni.
Helping scientists succeed|Katie McLean|December 18, 2020|MIT Technology Review
She says she met Cosby, a Temple alumnus and big-time donor to the university, in November 2002.
How Bill Cosby Allegedly Silenced His Accusers Through A Tabloid Smear Campaign|Marlow Stern|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A former House Budget chairman and Fox News alumnus, Kasich was a libertarian leaning fiscal conservative before it was cool.
The Secret GOP Swing State Election Romp|John Avlon|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The best known was Brotherhood alumnus Sayyid Qutb, whom the Egyptian state executed in 1966.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children|Philip Jenkins|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The celebrated nanny college counts as its most famous (if fictional) alumnus Mary Poppins.
More Details About Prince George's New Nanny|Tom Sykes|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hayes was very much a creature of the left, a proud alumnus of The Nation and In These Times.
Steve Kornacki, MSNBC’s Brainy Replacement for Chris Hayes, Just Wants to Be Useful|David Freedlander|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Alumnus, al-um′nus, n. one educated at a college is called an alumnus of it:—pl.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
It is a recollection blended of many feelings, that which the recurring Commencement brings to the alumnus.
From the Easy Chair, series 2|George William Curtis
The University, however, shares the attachment of the alumnus.
Oxford and Her Colleges|Goldwin Smith
He didn't look like a Dumbarton Oaks product: I thought he was more likely an alumnus of some private detective agency.
Lone Star Planet|Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire
Some high school alumnus in whose heart there is appreciation of Rome's gift to us might present a book to his Alma Mater.
A Handbook for Latin Clubs|Various

British Dictionary definitions for alumnus

alumnus

/ (əˈlʌmnəs) /

noun plural -ni (-naɪ)

mainly US and Canadian a graduate of a school, college, etc

Word Origin for alumnus

C17: from Latin: nursling, pupil, foster son, from alere to nourish

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

alumnus

Origin of alumnus

usage note for alumnus

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH alumnus

Words nearby alumnus

ALUMNUS VS. ALUMNI VS. ALUMNA VS. ALUMNAE VS. ALUM

What’s the difference between alumnus and alumni?

Quiz yourself on alumnus vs. alumni!

Words related to alumnus

How to use alumnus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for alumnus

Word Origin for alumnus