alumnae
The plural of "alumna" is alumnae.
alumna comes from Latin, and like many Latin nouns ending in -a it adds -e in the plural.
Meaning: a female former student of a school or university (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Use a plural verb with alumnae: the alumnae are. Because alumnae does not end in s, the possessive plural is alumnae's.
How do you pronounce it?
alumna is pronounced /əˈlʌmnə/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
alumnae is the Latin plural for women. For a mixed group or men, use alumni. In casual English many people just say alums.
Did you know?
- Over time, borrowed words often take a regular English plural too: forums and stadiums are now more common than fora and stadia.
Examples in context
- The college invited all its alumnae to the reunion.Singular: The college invited every its alumna to the reunion.
- Two alumnae have won the award.Singular: One alumna has won the award.
