An alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine) of a college, university, or school is a former student. The plural is alumni for men and mixed groups and alumnae for women. The term is often mistakenly thought of as synonymous with 'graduate'.
The words are derived from the Latin verb alere, 'to nourish', and literally mean 'nourished one'.
Sometimes used alum or alumn are informal, as is the gender-neutral plural equivalent alums.
Alumni/ae reunions are popular events at many institutions. They are usually organized by alumni associations and are often social occasions for fundraising.
Recently, the definition of 'alumni' has expanded to include people who have departed from any kind of organization or program. As such, one can potentially be a 'corporate alum' of XYZ Company, or an alum of a military branch, non-profit organization, or training process.
At most public schools and a few universities in the UK, and to a lesser extent in Australia and Canada, the phrases old boy and old girl are traditionally used for former school pupils, and old member for former university students. In Scotland, the term Former Pupil (FP) is also used, especially when referring to sports teams of a school.
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