Alumni

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈlʌmnaɪ/

Definitions

1. Individuals who have completed their studies at an academic institution
2. Those who have received degrees or diplomas from educational establishments
3. People who have finished their education and are associated with a particular school or university

Etymology: "Alumni" is the plural of "alumnus," a Latin word meaning "foster son" or "pupil," derived from "alere," "to nourish." The Latin noun carried a sense of someone being raised or fed, and the idea of nurture stayed attached to the word as it passed into English. Its modern meaning, graduates of a school or college, is a narrower, later development from that broader sense of a nourished or fostered person. The singular "alumnus" is the masculine form, and English uses "alumna" for a woman and "alumni" as the plural. Because "alumni" ends in "-i," which looks like a Latin plural, many speakers treat it as a masculine plural and use it for mixed groups, though it is also commonly used for all graduates of a institution together.

Synonyms: graduates, alumnus