Alumni vs. Alumnus

Alumni

An alumnus (; masculine, plural alumni ), an alumna (; feminine, plural alumnae ), or an alumnum (; neuter, plural alumna ) is a former student, and commonly a graduate of a university. An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor, or inmate, as well as a former student.

Alumnus

An alumnus (Latin pronunciation: [aˈlʊmnʊs]; masculine) or an alumna ([aˈlʊmna]; feminine) of a college, university, or other school is a former student who has either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The word is Latin and simply means student. The plural is alumni [aˈlʊmniː] for men and mixed groups and alumnae [aˈlʊmnae̯] for women. The term is not synonymous with “graduate”; one can be an alumnus without graduating (Burt Reynolds, alumnus but not graduate of Florida State, is an example). An “alumnus” can also be, and has more recently been expanded to include, a former employee of an organization and may also apply to a former member, contributor, or inmate.