LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

alumnus1

alumnus (feminine alumna, neuter alumnum)
Classical[aˈɫʊm.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[aˈlum.nus]

Meaning

  1. adjectiveNourished, fostered, etc.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

puer, quem quis prō patre ēducāvit
alumnus -ī (m) — in Metamorphoses I, ch. 22

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativealumnusalumnaalumnum
genitivealumnīalumnaealumnī
dativealumnōalumnaealumnō
accusativealumnumalumnamalumnum
ablativealumnōalumnāalumnō
vocativealumnealumnaalumnum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativealumnīalumnaealumna
genitivealumnōrumalumnārumalumnōrum
dativealumnīsalumnīsalumnīs
accusativealumnōsalumnāsalumna
ablativealumnīsalumnīsalumnīs
vocativealumnīalumnaealumna

ălumnus, a, um, adj. qs. contr. of alomenos, from alo.
I. That is nourished, brought up; for the most part subst.
A. ălumnus, i, m., a nursling, a pupil, foster-son.
1. Lit. (most freq. in the poets.): desiderio alumnūm ( = alumnorum), Pac. ap. Non. 243, 6 (Trag. Rel. p. 116 Rib.): erus atque alumnus tuus sum, Plaut. Merc. 4, 5, 7: quid voveat dulci nutricula majus alumno? Hor. Ep. 1, 4, 8; Verg. A. 11, 33: Tityon, terrae omniparentis alumnum, id. ib. 6, 595; so Ov. M. 4, 524; cf. with 421: legionum alumnus, i. e. brought up in the camp, Tac. A. 1, 44; cf. id. 1, 41: Vatinius sutrinae tabernae alumnus, id. ib. 15, 34: suum flevit alumnum, Val. Fl. 8, 94: alumni hominum peccatorum, * Vulg. Num. 32, 14.—Of the inhabitants of a country (cf. altrix): Italia alumnum suum summo supplicio fixum videret, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 66; of cattle: Faune, abeas parvis Aequus alumnis, Hor. C. 3, 18, 3; so id. ib. 3, 23, 7.—
2. Trop.: ego itaque pacis, ut ita dicam, alumnus, Cic. Phil. 7, 3: alumnus fortunae, a child of fortune, Plin. 7, 7, 5, § 43.—Hence, of pupils: Platonis alumnus, pupil, disciple, Cic. Fin. 4, 26: alumnus disciplinae meae, id. Fam. 9, 14.—
B. ălumna, ae, f., a foster-daughter, a pupil: nostra haec alumna, Plaut. Cist. 4, 2, 96: Italia omnium terrarum alumna eadem et parens (i. e. quae ab aliis terris alitur), Plin. 3, 5, 6, § 39: aliquam filiam et alumnam praedicare, Suet. Claud. 39: trepidam hortatur alumnam, Val. Fl. 5, 358.—Of frogs: aquai dulcis alumnae, Poët. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 9, 15.—Trop.: cana veritas Atticae philosophiae alumna, truth, the foster-child of Attic philosophy, Varr. ap. Non. 243, 2: jam bene constitutae civitatis quasi alumna quaedam, eloquentia, the foster-child of an already well-ordered state, * Cic. Brut. 12, 45: cliens et alumna Urbis Ostia (as a colony of the same), Flor. 3, 21.—
C. The neutr.: numen alumnum, Ov. M. 4, 421.—
II. In late Lat., act., nourishing; or subst., nourisher, one who brings up or educates: cygnus alumna stagna petierat, Mart. Cap. 1, p. 11.—Hence Isidorus: et qui alit et alitur, alumnus dici potest, Orig. 10, 1.

Origins

* From Proto-Italic *alomanos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-o-mh₁no- (“being nourished”), mediopassive participle (see *-mh₁nos) of *h₂el- (“to nourish, grow”) (whence alō). * Alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish, grow”) + *-mno- (see *-mn̥). Compare typologically Russian пито́мец (pitómec), воспи́танник (vospítannik) (<~ пита́ть (pitátʹ)); вы́кормыш (výkormyš) (<~ корми́ть (kormítʹ)).

In English words that came into English from alumnus

  • alumnusalumnus
noun · masculinesecond declension
alumnus2
alumnus m (genitive alumnī, feminine alumna)
Classical[aˈɫʊm.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[aˈlum.nus]

Meaning

  1. masculinenursling, pupil
    pervenit ad Cranēn et rem docet, illa ‘timōrem pōne: tuus sospes’ dīxit ‘alumnus erit.’ She comes to Cranê and tells her what has happened; [and to] that, Cranê replies: “Put fear aside; your nursling will be unharmed.” (A nurse-maid summons Cranê’s aid because a baby has been attacked by striges; however, Ovid in these verses conflates names and mythologies: see Cardea.)8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 6.151–152
  2. masculinefoster son
  3. masculinestudent, follower

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativealumnusalumnī
genitivealumnīalumnōrum
dativealumnōalumnīs
accusativealumnumalumnōs
ablativealumnōalumnīs
vocativealumnealumnī

Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.

alumnus ī, m
alo, a foster-son, ward, nursling: Carus, V.: dulcis, H.: hos usūs praestet tibi alumnus, i. e. this will be your reward for bringing him up, O.: legionum, brought up in the camp, Ta.: eorum agrorum alumni: (nec sentient) dulces alumni grave tempus, H.: alumno numine, O.—Fig.: ego itaque pacis, ut ita dicam, alumnus: Platonis, disciple disciplinae meae.

Origins

* From Proto-Italic *alomanos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-o-mh₁no- (“being nourished”), mediopassive participle (see *-mh₁nos) of *h₂el- (“to nourish, grow”) (whence alō). * Alternatively from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (“to nourish, grow”) + *-mno- (see *-mn̥). Compare typologically Russian пито́мец (pitómec), воспи́танник (vospítannik) (<~ пита́ть (pitátʹ)); вы́кормыш (výkormyš) (<~ корми́ть (kormítʹ)).

Descendants
  • Englishalumnus
  • Catalanalumne
  • Italianalunno
  • Portuguesealuno
  • Romanianalumn
  • Spanishalumno

Quick answers

What does alumnus mean in Latin?
alumnus, a adjective, means “Nourished, fostered, etc.”.
How do you pronounce alumnus?
In classical Latin, [aˈɫʊm.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [aˈlum.nus].