Alum

Pronunciation: /ˈæləm/

Definitions of alum

noun a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university

Example Sentences

A1 My sister is an alum of the local high school.

A2 The alum of the university donated money for scholarships.

B1 After graduating, she became an alum of the prestigious law school.

B2 The alum association organizes events for former students to reconnect.

C1 As an alum of the business school, he was invited to speak at the alumni event.

C2 The alum network helped her secure a job at a top company after graduation.

Examples of alum in a Sentence

formal The university's alumnae association organized a networking event for recent graduates.

informal I ran into an old alum from my high school at the grocery store.

slang Hey, did you hear that our alum is now a big shot in Hollywood?

figurative The old factory building stood as a silent alum of the town's industrial past.

Grammatical Forms of alum

• past tense: alumed
• plural: alums
• comparative: more alum
• superlative: most alum
• present tense: alum
• future tense: will alum
• perfect tense: have alum
• continuous tense: am aluming
• singular: alum
• positive degree: alum
• infinitive: to alum
• gerund: aluming
• participle: alumed

Origin and Evolution of alum

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'alum' comes from the Latin word 'alumen', which means 'bitter salt'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to refer to a specific type of salt, 'alum' has evolved to also include a group of double sulfates of aluminum and another metal, commonly used in various industrial processes and as astringents in medicine.