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alumnus

noun alum·nus \ ə-ˈləm-nəs \
|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Definition of alumnus

plural alumni play \-ˌnī\
1 : a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university
  • an alumnus of Columbia University
—usually used of a man in the singular but often of men and women in the plural
2 : a person who is a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate
  • a Saturday Night Live alumnus

See alumnus defined for English-language learners

See alumnus defined for kids

Examples of alumnus in a Sentence

  1. Her parents are alumni of the state university.

Recent Examples of alumnus from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'alumnus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Alumnus or Alumna?

Many people are comfortable using the word alumni to refer to someone who was a student of a particular school. However, others feel quite strongly that this is an error and that the following forms should be used: alumnus (for one male), alumni (for multiple males, or for a mix of males and females), alumna (for one female), and alumnae (for multiple females). The shortened form alum and its plural form alums began to be used in the 19th century. Initially, alum was widely viewed as highly colloquial or informal, but is increasing in use as a gender-neutral alternative.

Origin and Etymology of alumnus

Latin, foster son, pupil, from alere to nourish — more at old

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

ALUMNUS Defined for English Language Learners

alumnus

noun

Definition of alumnus for English Language Learners

  • : someone who was a student at a particular school, college, or university

ALUMNUS Defined for Kids

alumnus

noun alum·nus \ ə-ˈləm-nəs \

Definition of alumnus for Students

plural alumni \-ˌnī\
: a person who has attended or has graduated from a school, college, or university

Learn More about alumnus

  1. Spanish Central: Translation of alumnus Nglish: Translation of alumnus for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of alumnus for Arabic speakers

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