alumnus
- alumnus
a•lum•nus
[[t]əˈlʌm nəs[/t]]
n. pl. -ni (-nī, -nē).
1) edu a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university
2) a former associate, employee, member, or the like
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Etymology:
1635–45; < L: 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.
From formal English to slang.
2014.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
Alumnus — • Signifies in ecclesiastical usage, a student preparing for the sacred ministry in a seminary Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Alumnus Alumnus … Catholic encyclopedia
alumnus — (n.) 1640s, from L. alumnus a pupil, lit. foster son, vestigial present passive participle of alere to nourish (see OLD (Cf. old)), with ending akin to Gk. omenos. Plural is alumni. Fem. is alumna (1882), fem. plural alumnae … Etymology dictionary
Alumnus — A*lum nus, n.; pl. {Alumni}. [L., fr. alere to nourish.] A pupil; especially, a graduate of a college or other seminary of learning. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Alúmnus — (lat.), Kostschüler, Pflegling, Zögling einer Erziehungsanstalt (Alumnat, Internat), der Wohnung, Kost und Unterricht (ganz oder halb frei) erhält; Gegensatz: Stadtschüler (Oppidanus, Extraneer). – Juristisch bezeichnet Alumnat das rein faktische … Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon
alumnus — (stressed on the second syllable) means a former student or pupil, and comes from a Latin word meaning ‘nursling’. It is more common in AmE than in BrE. The plural form is alumni (pronounced niy) and the female form is alumna (plural alumnae,… … Modern English usage
alumnus — / alumna [n] graduate alum, old grad*, postgraduate; concept 350 … New thesaurus
alumnus — ► NOUN (pl. alumni; fem. alumna, pl. alumnae) ▪ a former pupil or student of a particular school, college, or university. ORIGIN Latin, pupil , from alere nourish … English terms dictionary
alumnus — ☆ alumnus [ə lum′nəs] n. pl. alumni [ə lum′nī΄] [L, a pupil, foster son < alere, to nourish: see OLD ] a person, esp. a boy or man, who has attended or is a graduate of a particular school, college, etc … English World dictionary
Alumnus — Old girl redirects here. For the Australian Rules Football ground, see Victoria Park, Melbourne. Alumni redirects here. For the Argentine football team, see Alumni Athletic Club. An alumnus (plural alumni), according to the American Heritage… … Wikipedia
Alumnus — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt ist nicht hinreichend mit Belegen (Literatur, Webseiten oder Einzelnachweisen) versehen. Die fraglichen Angaben werden daher möglicherweise demnächst gelöscht. Hilf Wikipedia, indem du die Angaben recherchierst und… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Alúmnus — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt ist nicht hinreichend mit Belegen (Literatur, Webseiten oder Einzelnachweisen) versehen. Die fraglichen Angaben werden daher möglicherweise demnächst gelöscht. Hilf Wikipedia, indem du die Angaben recherchierst und… … Deutsch Wikipedia
