alum
alum Lexical Profile
alum Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American An informal term for a former student or graduate of a particular school, college, or university.
"As a proud alum of the university, she returns every autumn to mentor graduating seniors."
A colorless, astringent chemical compound that is a hydrated double sulfate of aluminum and potassium, widely used in dyeing fabrics, tanning leather, purifying water, and manufacturing paper.
"Traditional dyers often dissolve alum in warm water to help natural plant pigments bind permanently to wool fibers."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North American usage, 'alum' (plural 'alums') is widely used as a gender-neutral, informal clipping of 'alumnus' or 'alumna', Avoiding the Latinate gender and number distinctions.
• Rhymes for alum
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
In the chemical sense, derived via Old French from Latin 'alumen' (bitter salt). In the educational sense, a late 19th-century American English shortening of 'alumnus' or 'alumna'.