Alumnus
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An alumn (with a silent "n") or alum is a former student of a colleges, university, or school. The term is often used to mean a graduate. In Latin, alumnus is the masculine singular form of the word and alumna is the feminine singular form (the root of the words is derived from the Latin verb alere, "to nourish," and literally means "nourished one" or "nursling"). These terms are recommended by leading dictionaries, but because they are genderspecific, their use is limited. The Latin plural is alumni, for men and mixed groups and alumnae for women. The term alumns is also used. The use of the plural form may do away with the problem of gender specific language found in the singular.
Alumni and Alumnae reunions are a popular event at many universities, which are organized by alumni associations and are often social occasions for learning and fund-raising.
Recently, the definition of alumni/ae has expanded to include people who have "matriculated" and "exited" at any kind of organization or process. As such, one can potentially be a "corporate alumni/ae" of XYZ Company, or any alumnus/a of a military branch, non-profit organization, or training process.
The preferred terms for coeducational institutions are generally "alumnus" and "alumna," because they are grammatically correct and gender-neutral. For all-women colleges, the term "alumna" (plural "alumnae"). One school, Texas A&M University, has never called its graduates "alumni" or even "graduates", choosing to use the term "former students."
In the United Kingdom, the phrases old boy(s) and old girl(s) are sometimes used for former students, but never old child(ren).
See also:
