a·lum·nus

[uh-luhm-nuhs]
noun, plural a·lum·ni [uh-luhm-nahy, -nee] .
1.
a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university.
2.
a former associate, employee, member, or the like: He invited all the alumni of the library staff to the party.

Origin:
1635–45; < Latin: foster son, pupil, equivalent to al- (stem of alere to feed, support) + -u- (< stem-vowel *-o- in interior syllable) + -m(i)nus, orig. passive participial suffix (cf. adult, old), akin to Greek -menos; see phenomenon

alum, alumna, alumnae, alumni, alumnus (see usage note at the current entry).


Alumnus (in Latin a masculine noun) 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 groups composed of both sexes 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. While not quite equivalent in meaning, the terms graduate and graduates avoid the complexities of the Latin forms and eliminate any need for using a masculine plural form to refer to both sexes.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To alumni
00:10
Alumni is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
alumnus (əˈlʌmnəs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -ni
chiefly (US), (Canadian) a graduate of a school, college, etc
 
[C17: from Latin: nursling, pupil, foster son, from alere to nourish]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

alumnus
1640s, from L. "a pupil," lit. "foster son," vestigial present passive participle of alere "to nourish" (see old), with ending akin to Gk. -omenos. Plural is alumni. Fem. is alumna (1882), fem. plural alumnae.

alumni
see alumnus.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
She is easily the most famous of the band's alumni, having broken out as a solo
  artist last year.
Some of our retired alumni who live in the area stop by my office and we talk.
Younger alumni, he added, tend to socialize in other ways than at a club with
  linen tablecloths.
Alumni are common fixtures on college governing boards.
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