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Is it acceptable to use alum for alumnus or alumna?
The words that we have used to refer to people who have attended or graduated from a school, college, or university have changed a bit over the past several centuries. Traditionally, the word alumnus has been used to refer to a single male, whereas alumna has been used for a single woman. Initially the plural forms were alumni to refer to multiple men (or multiple men and women) and alumnae for multiple women. A little over a hundred years ago the shortened form of alum began to be used to describe a graduate or past attendee of either gender. Although many people feel that alum is informal, it is in increasing use, and we appear to be moving toward a greater acceptance of the word. The plural of alum is alums.
Examples of alum in a Sentence
Jim Bowden, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
The movie made by the Parks and Reacreation alum also costars Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
On defense, linebacker Kellen Wiley, also an Armwood alum, led the Hurricanes with five tackles.
—Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
Created by Buffy alum and Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard, ABC's crime drama stars Kaitlin Olson as an eccentric (and fashionable) janitor with a genius-level IQ who stumbles into a consulting role with the Los Angeles Police Department.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for alum
Cite this Entry
“Alum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alum. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
alum
noun
called also potassium alum
called also ammonia alum, ammonium alum
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