Did you know?
Is it acceptable to use alum for alumnus or alumna?
The words that we have used to refer to people who have attended or graduated from a school, college, or university have changed a bit over the past several centuries. Traditionally, the word alumnus has been used to refer to a single male, whereas alumna has been used for a single woman. Initially the plural forms were alumni to refer to multiple men (or multiple men and women) and alumnae for multiple women. A little over a hundred years ago the shortened form of alum began to be used to describe a graduate or past attendee of either gender. Although many people feel that alum is informal, it is in increasing use, and we appear to be moving toward a greater acceptance of the word. The plural of alum is alums.
Examples of alum in a Sentence
Aja Hoggatt, EW.com, 11 May 2025
Alumni who have stayed in the region after graduation pump $41 million into the economy; Texas Wesleyan estimates 27,000 alums live within 50 miles of campus.
—Kate Marijolovic, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 May 2025
The 32-year-old Disney Channel alum shut down the speculation on her Instagram Story Saturday.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 10 May 2025
With the Knicks’ star trio of fellow Villanova alums Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges in the midst of a major playoff run, perhaps the arrival of Pope Leo XIV is a sign that the good Lord is finally on the the side of the long-suffering team.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for alum
Cite this Entry
“Alum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alum. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
alum
noun
called also potassium alum
called also ammonia alum, ammonium alum
Share