alumnus
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a·lum·nus
(ə-lŭm′nəs)n. pl. a·lum·ni (-nī′)
A male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university.
Usage Note: Alumnus and alumna both come from Latin and preserve Latin plurals. Alumnus is a masculine noun whose plural is alumni, and alumna is a feminine noun whose plural is alumnae. Coeducational institutions usually use alumni for graduates of both sexes. But those who object to masculine forms in such cases may prefer using alumni and alumnae, alumnae/i, or the more casual alums. The word graduates also presents a gender-neutral alternative.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
alumnus
(əˈlʌmnəs)n, pl -ni (-naɪ)
(Education) chiefly US and Canadian a graduate of a school, college, etc
[C17: from Latin: nursling, pupil, foster son, from alere to nourish]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•lum•nus
(əˈlʌm nəs)n., pl. -ni (-nī, -nē).
1. a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university.
2. a former associate, employee, member, or the like.
[1635–45; < Latin: foster son, pupil]
usage: 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. Sometimes, to avoid any suggestion of sexism, both terms are used for mixed groups: the alumni/alumnae (or the alumni and alumnae) of Indiana University. While not quite equivalent in meaning, the terms graduate and graduates avoid both the complexities of the Latin forms and the use of a masculine plural form to refer to both sexes. The shortened form alum (plural alums) is another genderless option.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
alumnus
, alumna, alumni - Alumnus and alumna stem from Latin alere, "to nourish or be nourished," now by a university; originally alumnus was a pupil and now it is a male graduate. Alumni refers to either sex.See also related terms for nourish.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
alumnus
A man who graduated from a particular school, university or college.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | alumnus - a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) Ivy Leaguer - a student or graduate at an Ivy League school old boy - a former male pupil of a school bookman, scholar, scholarly person, student - a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
alumnus
alumna (Chiefly U.S. & Canad.)noun graduate, valedictorian, past student, former student, graduand an alumnus of Edinburgh University
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
ancien élève
alumnus
[əˈlʌmnəs] N (alumni (pl)) [əˈlʌmnaɪ] alumna [əˈlʌmnə] N (alumnae (pl)) [əˈlʌmniː] (esp US) → graduado/a m/falumnus association → asociación f de graduados
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
alumnus
[əˈlʌmnəs] [alumni] [əˈlʌmnaɪ] (pl) n (= ex-student) [school] → ancien élève m; [university] → ancien étudiant mCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
alumnus
n pl <alumni> (US) → ehemaliger Schüler/Student, Ehemalige(r) m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995