Nonstudents

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A category of people who are not participating in any educational institution or academic course of study
2. Individuals who lack enrollment in any formal schooling or learning environment
3. People who are not registered or attending any educational programs

Etymology: "Nonstudents" is simply the plural of "nonstudent," a noun built from the prefix "non-" and "student." The prefix comes from Old English "nān," meaning "not one," which contracted over the Middle English period into "non-," the form still used to attach a negative sense to a base word. Attached to "student," it yields a plain label for anyone outside the population of learners at a given school, course or programme. The construction is transparent, and the "non-" prefix is productive: English speakers have freely formed such pairs as "nonmember," "nonprofit" and "nonwhite" whenever a category needs to be defined by the absence of something. "Nonstudent" follows that pattern, and the sense of the term follows directly from its parts: it names the people who are not enrolled, not the people who lack some quality associated with being a student.