Is alumni a sensitive word?

“Alumni” refers to a group of male-identifying graduates or a mixed-gender group and is not considered inclusive in all spaces but is still commonly used. For non-gendered, inclusive language, use “alum” and “alums.”

Is it OK to say alumni?

Traditionally, "alumnus" refers specifically to a singular male graduate and "alumni" is the plural form for a group of male graduates and for a group of male and female graduates. Meanwhile, the term for singular female graduates is the lesser spotted "alumna", and "alumnae" refers to a group of female-only graduates.

Is alumni politically correct?

“Alumni” is plural, used for multiple men or for a mixed-gender group (so it does not make sense to refer to an individual as “an alumni”). The shortened, gender-neutral forms “alum” and “alums” can be used in less formal contexts.

What kind of word is alumni?

Alumni is the plural noun for a group of male graduates or male and female graduates.

Is alumni the right word?

Alumni is the plural of alumnus, so it is used to denote a group of male former pupils of a college or school. For example: James, John and David are Yale alumni, having graduated together in 1997.

Alumni, Alumnus, Alumnae, Alumna - Proper Usage || English Vocabulary || Aubrey Bermudez

Is alumni gender neutral?

For an individual graduate, an alumnus is a single male, an alumna is a single female, and an alum is the gender neutral term. For the plurals, alumni refers to multiple male or gender neutral graduates, alumnae is for multiple female grads, and alums is the gender neutral plural.

What is alumni slang?

The word “alum” is an informal reference to either a male or female graduate. “Alums” refers to a group of graduates that can be all male, all female or mixed. While this slang is fine for casual conversation, most grammar experts recommend using the proper Latin names in professional settings.

What is female alumni called?

Alumni and alumnus are the preferred plural and singular terms of alumni of any gender. The feminine terms—alumna (singular) and alumnae (plural)—may be used in the context of the publication or the preferences of the subjects.

Why is it called alumni?

Etymology. The Latin noun alumnus means "foster son" or "pupil". It is derived from the Latin verb alere "to nourish". Separate, but from the same root, is the adjective almus "nourishing", found in the phrase alma mater, a title for a person's home university.

Does alumni mean you graduated?

What is an Alum? The obvious answer is that an alum is a graduate or a longtime attendee of a particular school, college, or university. Aside from the obvious, there are a few different words that can describe a graduate! In modern days, typically alum or alumni are most commonly used.

Can you say alumni of a company?

Corporate alumnus (/əˈlʌmnəs/ (masculine) or alumna (/əˈlʌmnə/ (feminine) of an organization is a former employee of the organization. The term "Corporate" is prefaced to recognize the difference from "Alumni" who are graduates or former students of universities, colleges and schools.

When can you call yourself an alumni?

Collectively, you and everyone you graduated with from your institution are alumni. Alumni is the Latin plural form of a word that originally meant foster son or pupil. Everyone who graduated from your school is a former pupil or “foster son” (or daughter) of that institution.

How do you make an alumni possessive?

Plural Nouns

If a plural noun does not end in s, make it possessive by adding an 's to the end of the word. For example: women's rights or alumni's donations.

Is the word alumni non inclusive?

Traditionally, 'alumni' has been used as a collective noun for all genders but is currently perceived as a word that refers primarily to men. In order to be explicitly gender-inclusive, Westtown had been using 'alumni/ae/x' to refer to groups of alums.

Can you say alumni if you didn't graduate?

All iterations of the word alumni below are defined as a graduate or former student of a school, college or institution. So, you can be considered an alumnus after having attended a school, even if you didn't graduate from that school.

What is a synonym for the word alumni?

synonyms: alum, alumna, grad, graduate. types: Ivy Leaguer. a student or graduate at an Ivy League school. old boy.

How do I say I am an alumni?

For a male, “I am an alumnus” is correct, and “I am an alum” would be an acceptable short alternative. A male is an alumnus; a female is an alumna; two or more males a combination of males and females are alumni; and two or more females are alumnae. “She said proudly that she was a Smith College alumna.”

What do you call an old student?

An alumnus (masculine, plural alumni) or alumna (feminine, plural alumnae) is a former student or pupil of a school, college, or university.

Why do we use alumni?

Alumni are an institution's most loyal supporters. Alumni are fundraising prospects. Alumni generate invaluable word-of-mouth marketing among their social and professional networks. By engaging alumni, an institution can continue to benefit from their skills and experience.

Are dropouts considered alumni?

Yes, alumnus means a person that has attended a particular college. Different schools define the attendance criterion in different ways, some by the amount of coursework and others by the number of completed semesters or quarters. But you certainly do not need a degree from a school to be considered an alumnus.

What is alma mater vs alumni?

It's not really possible for a non-person to be an alum, so the neuter forms of 'alumnum' (singular) and 'alumna' (plural), are unlikely to be used much. Alumni refers to people who have graduated from an institution (most commonly a university) while alma mater is the institution from which a person has graduated.

What is different alumna and alumni?

Alumna and alumnae are used to describe feminine nouns, like female graduates. Alumnus and alumni are used to describe masculine nouns, like male graduates. Alumni may also be used to describe groups of graduates that contain males and females.

Can alum be short for alumni?

“Alumnae” refers to a group of women graduates and is plural. “Alumna” refers to a single female alum, and “alumnus” is a single male alum. The terms “alum” (singular, not gender specific) and “alums” (plural, not gender specific) are more informal and are acceptable, particularly when the gender is unknown.

What is a proud alumni?

"a proud alumni" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it to describe someone who has graduated from a particular school, college, or university. For example, "As a proud alumni of Harvard University, I am proud to have received an excellent education.".

Is alumni a Greek word?

alumnus (n.)

"pupil or graduate of a school," 1640s, from Latin alumnus "a pupil," literally "foster son," vestigial present passive participle of alere "to suckle, nourish" (from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish"). With ending akin to Greek -omenos. Plural is alumni.