Alumni - The term Alumnus (Latin pronunciation) of a college, university or school, is used for a former student who has either attended or graduated from a particular institution. The word is of Latin origin and simply means student. The plural is Alumni. The Latin name Alumnus means "son" or "pupil" and is derived from hel- (grows, feeds) and is closely related to the Latin verb alo. From the same root word is the adjective almus "nourisher", found in the phrase Alma Mater, which means "mother who nourishes". This is a Latin allegorical phrase currently used to identify a school, college or university that someone has attended before.