alumnus

[ uh-luhm-nuhs ]

noun

, plural a·lum·ni [uh, -, luhm, -nahy].

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.

alumnus

/ əˈlʌmnəs /

noun

1. a graduate of a school, college, etc

Gender Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of alumnus¹

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; adult ( def ), alimony

Word History and Origins

Origin of alumnus¹

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

Example Sentences

Hunter Swisher, a 2016 Penn State alumnus, is the founder and chief executive officer of Phospholutions, a fertilizer formulated to increase phosphorus efficiency in the soil.

From Science Daily

He was born Feb. 9, 1985, in Leningrad and was a graduate of the distinguished Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, whose notable male alumni also include Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev.

From Los Angeles Times

The university is one of Scotland’s oldest, having been founded in 1583, and boasts links to 20 Nobel Prize laureates among its alumni - alongside current First Minister John Swinney and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

From BBC

In recent years, the company jettisoned metrics like class sizes and giving by alumni and added others, such as how first-generation students fare.

From New York Times

As a Justice alumnus, I’m confident that department veterans of both parties see Gaetz’s selection as perfectly awful.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alum
• graduate

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 _____.