Alumnus
An
alumnus (masculine) or
alumna (feminine) of a
college,
university, or
school is a former student. The plural is
alumni for men and mixed groups and
alumnae for women. The term is often mistakenly thought of as synonymous with "graduate."
The words are derived from the
Latin verb alere, "to nourish," and literally mean "nourished one."
Sometimes used
alum or
alumn are informal, as is the
gender-neutral plural equivalent
alums.
Alumni/ae
reunions are popular events at many institutions. They are usually organized by
alumni associations and are often social occasions for
fundraising.
Recently, the definition of "alumni" has expanded to include people who have departed from any kind of organization or program. As such, one can potentially be a "corporate alum" of XYZ Company, or an alum of a military branch,
non-profit organization, or training process.
At most
public schools and a few universities in the UK, and to a lesser extent in
Australia and
Canada, the phrases
old boy and
old girl are traditionally used for former school pupils, and
old member for former university students. In Scotland, the term
Former Pupil (FP) is also used, especially when referring to sports teams of a school.
*
Alma mater*
Old boy network*
Alumni association
