What declension is alumni?

One alumnus is second declension masculine, so his plural is “alumni.” One alumna is first declension feminine, and her plural is “alumnae.” If, however, we are referring to the entirety of the Gator Nation, then we use the masculine plural, “alumni.” This is used so commonly, that people tend to think that any Latin — ...

Is alumni Greek or Latin?

Etymology. The Latin noun alumnus means "foster son" or "pupil". It is derived from the Latin verb alere "to nourish".

What kind of word is alumni?

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

Is alumni not 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 the form of 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.

Alumnus - Alumni & Alumna - Alumnae ||What’s the difference? | English Lesson

How do you write alumni?

Usage note: Do not use the slash form alumnus/na. Use alumni to refer to all or use alumnus and alumna (the full words) to refer to each. This style also applies to emeriti, emerita, emeritus.

Is alum grammatically correct?

Alum. 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.

Is alumni gender inclusive?

“Alumnus” is the masculine singular term. “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.

Can I just say alumn?

If you are speaking of someone who is a graduate of an educational institution, it is alumna, alumni (plural) and alumnus (single). Alumn would be a slang way to refer to that person, but it really isn't standard English.

Why is alumni non inclusive?

“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.”

Can alumni be used for female?

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.

Is alumni a proper noun?

No. It's an English word that comes from the Latin. It's not a proper noun any more than a word like “focus.” Obviously, if there's an organisation with the word alumni its name, then every word gets capitalised.

Am I alumni if I didn't graduate?

Originally Answered: Am I an alumnus of a college/university if I studied but did not graduate from there? Yes, you are. Alumnus by definition is former student or pupil of a school, college, or university.

What is a female alumni called?

Alumni is a plural noun referring either to a group of male graduates or to a group of both male and female graduates. The singular “alumnus” refers to one male graduate, “alumna” refers to one female graduate, and the plural “alumnae” refers to a group of female graduates.

What do you call a Yale alumni?

Yalies are persons affiliated with Yale University, commonly including alumni, current and former faculty members, students, and others. Here follows a list of notable Yalies.

What do Yale alumni call themselves?

Pop quiz: what's a Yalie? We use the term routinely in the Yale Alumni Magazine, as shorthand for "any Yale student, alumnus, or alumna." But recently we received a gracious dissent from James C. Goodale '55, who wrote, "I view 'Yalie' as a pejorative term.

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.

Is alum short for alumni?

“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 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.

Is the word alumni sensitive?

“Alumni” is a term used predominantly across higher education. A word with Latin roots, it has traditionally represented a group of male-identifying graduates, but over time, many have seen the term take on a more neutral meaning.

What is the AP style for alumni?

Use of Alumnus, Alumni, Alumna, or Alumnae

You may use alumna when referring to a woman who has attended a school; alumnus when referring to a man who has attended a school; or alum or graduate as a singular, gender-neutral option. Use alumni or graduates when referring to a group of multiple genders.

Is freshman gender inclusive?

— freshman/freshmen The terms freshman/freshmen are acceptable because of their common use on college campuses. If a gender-neutral term is desired, first-year student is acceptable. — humanity, humankind, humans, human beings, people Not mankind. — human-made, human-caused, artificial, synthetic Not man-made.

How do you say I am an alumnus?

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 is the acronym alum?

As the need for gender-neutral words has increased, many colleges and universities have begun using the abbreviations “alum” and “alums” to designate all alumni regardless of gender, rather than the standard “alumnus/a/i/ae.”

Is it aluminum or alum?

The Origins of the Element's Name. The earliest use of the element aluminum dates back to the early middle ages, in the form of a chemical compound named Alum, which was used for dyeing, medicine, and as a fire-resistant coating. Alum is a sulfate salt of aluminum, but the existence of the metal was unknown at the time ...