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"Old girl" redirects here. For the Australian Rules Football ground, see Victoria Park, Melbourne.
"Alumni" redirects here. For the Argentine football team, see Alumni Athletic Club.
An alumnus (pl. alumni) according to the American Heritage Dictionary is "a male graduate or former student of a school, college, or university." alumnus. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. In addition, an alumna (pl. alumnae) is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college, or university." alumna. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
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The English word "alumnus" comes from the Latin noun "alumnus" meaning "nursling" or "ward" Words and has come to mean, within common English usage, a graduate (or nursling) of a seat of learning. Oxford English Dictionary Sign In "Alumna" is a feminised form of "alumnus" that has entered common English usage.
As indicated in the American Heritage Dictionary, an alumnus or alumna is either someone who has attended the school (or a "former student of a school") or someone who has graduated from the school.alumnus. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.alumna. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. Furthermore, according to dictionary.reference.com and the United States Department of Education, the term alumnae is used in conjunction with either women\'s collegesArchived: Women\'s Colleges in the United States: History, Issues, and Challenges or a female group of students. The term alumni is used in conjunction with either men\'s colleges, a male group of students, or a mixed group of students:
The term is sometimes shortened to alum which stands for "an alumna or alumnus.""alum." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. 1 December 2006.
The plural alumni is often erroneously used as a singular form for both genders; for example, "I am an alumni of the university," as opposed to "I am an alumnus/alumna of the university." This is likely due to a lack of understanding of Latin grammar and the fact that printed documents and university merchandise almost always use the plural form of the word.
Alumni reunions are popular events at many institutions. They are usually organized by alumni associations and are often social occasions for fundraising.
At most public schools, New Zealand schools, and a few universities in the UK, and to a lesser extent in Australia (who use the term "former student") and Canada, the phrases old boy and old girl are traditionally used for former school pupils, and old member (or "alumni" in New Zealand) for former university students. At the Royal Military College of Canada, the phrases former cadet and member of the old brigade are traditionally used as are college numbers. Another example is the term old corps, in reference to alumni from the Virginia Military Institute.
Some will use a specific term clearly linked to the school name, such as Old Etonian or Old Silcoatian (alumni of Eton College and Silcoates School), or a more obscure one, such as Old Citizen and Old Gregorian for those of the City of London School and Downside School.
In Scotland, the term former pupil (FP) is also used, especially when referring to sports teams of a school. Some U.S. schools, most notably Texas A&M University, also prefer former student.
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