# Is alumnius a word? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 27, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068 "2018-09-27T22:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/1 "2018-09-27T22:56:13Z")
Brett Kavanaugh’s high school yearbook has a number of seniors described as an “Renate Alumnius.” I don’t get any other hits for alumnius on Google. It is a real Latin declension, bad Latin, or a weird typo repeated fourteen times? Please do not go into the political or social implications surrounding this in GQ. Latin scholars only. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/2 "2018-09-27T23:25:37Z")
I (well, the computer) find no such word in the classical corpus. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/3 "2018-09-27T23:29:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Usage note. Alumnus (in Latin a masculine noun) refers to a male graduate or former student; the plural is alumni. An alumna (in Latin a feminine noun) refers to a female graduate or former student; the plural is alumnae. > **[Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/alumnus)** > > The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years! So either a joke, a typo or someone didn’t know how to spell the word. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/4 "2018-09-27T23:30:15Z")
Or someone who just didn’t have a clue about the correct word, which is a distinct category from a typo. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/5 "2018-09-28T00:15:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Or someone who just didn’t have a clue about the correct word, which is a distinct category from a typo. And what category is that, Mr. Genus? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/6 "2018-09-28T00:29:19Z")
> [@](#): > > And what category is that, Mr. Genus? Are you calling me a _Homo_? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/7 "2018-09-28T01:11:50Z")
Sounds consistent with many teenage errors. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/8 "2018-09-28T01:13:43Z")
Sounds like they got mixed up between “alumnus” (singular) and “alumni” (plural) and thought “alumnius” sounded more or less right. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/9 "2018-09-28T02:20:17Z")
I don’t think they all used “alumnius.” At least one of the photos was captioned “alumni,” and articles have referred to other seniors’ page saying alumnus or alumni. This might have been Kavanaugh’s error alone. ---
**Author:** ![Cotelo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@Cotelo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cotelo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/10 "2018-09-28T10:22:50Z")
I too was curious when I saw references to “Renate Alumnius”. I don’t think it is an error, typo, joke, or mix up. It’s been many years since I studied Latin, but the ending -ius is the masculine nominative declension of the word. It is a legitimate suffix and as with anything Latin, small changes in word endings can change the meaning of the word. The nominative ending makes the word active rather than passive, thus changes the meaning of a subject, alumnus (former student or pupil of), to a verb, alumnius (a former student or pupil acting upon/interacting with) the subject; which in this case, Renate Alumnius. This is my understanding and I may be wrong. If someone else can provide additional information, I’ll gladly accept it. I’ve referenced these additional resources: [https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ius](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ius) and en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative\_case ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/11 "2018-09-28T10:45:08Z")
> [@Cotelo](#): > > It’s been many years since I studied Latin, but the ending -ius is the masculine nominative declension of the word. No, that’s -us. The root of the word is alumn-, not alumni- so the actual Latin words are, in the nominative: alumnus (m, s), alumna (f, s), alumni (m or both, pl), alumnae (f, pl). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/12 "2018-09-28T15:09:59Z")
Speaking of declension, what about the first word, “renate”? I have seen suggestions that it is supposed to be someone’s name, “Renate” being the German spelling of Renata. But in a Latin context “Renate” could only be the vocative case of Renatus. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/13 "2018-09-28T15:18:57Z")
ETA the _New York Times_ has identified a candidate Renate, but, again, that is not how the name is declined in Latin. Textual evidence (i.e., the second word) suggests the author flunked Latin in any case. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/14 "2018-09-28T15:20:41Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Speaking of declension, what about the first word, “renate”? I have seen suggestions that it is supposed to be someone’s name, “Renate” being the German spelling of Renata. But in a Latin context “Renate” could only be the vocative case of Renatus. IIRC, even in Kavanaugh’s testimony yesterday, he admitted that it was a reference to the young woman’s name. He argued that the “alumnus / alumnius” was that they all liked her as a friend, and wanted to honor her. Suuuuuuure. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/15 "2018-09-28T15:29:27Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > IIRC, even in Kavanaugh’s testimony yesterday, he admitted that it was a reference to the young woman’s name. He argued that the “alumnus / alumnius” was that they all liked her as a friend, and wanted to honor her. Suuuuuuure. Too late to add on edit – from the [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2018/09/27/cornered-on-renate-alumnius-kavanaugh-shifts-blame-to-media-circus/?utm_term=.0aab6ccd15be): > [@](#): > > Asked by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) about the two words, Kavanaugh responded: “She was a great friend of ours, a bunch of us went to dances with her. She hung out with us as a group. The media circus that has been generated by this thought and reported that it referred to sex. It did not, as she said on the record, never had any kind of sexual interaction with her. And I’m sorry how that’s been misinterpreted and sorry about that, as I said in my opening statement, because she’s a good person and to have her name dragged through this hearing is a joke and really an embarrassment.” > > Here’s what that opening statement said in that respect: “One thing in particular we were sad about, one of our good—one of our good female friends who we would admire and went to dances with had her name used on on the yearbook page with the term alumnus. That term was clumsily used to show affection, to show she was one of us.” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/16 "2018-09-28T15:37:33Z")
“Renatae alumnus” would be a male disciple or pupil of Renata. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/17 "2018-09-28T16:27:50Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Speaking of declension, what about the first word, “renate”? I have seen suggestions that it is supposed to be someone’s name, “Renate” being the German spelling of Renata. But in a Latin context “Renate” could only be the vocative case of Renatus. Renate Schroeder Dolphin was one of the 65 women who knew Kavanaugh and signed a statement backing him. She later withdrew that after learning of the Renate Alumnius references. There would seem to be little doubt the [reference is to her](https://www.insideedition.com/brett-kavanaugh-raunchy-writings-renate-alumnius-georgetown-prep-yearbook-raise-questions-47094). > [@](#): > > Alexandra Walsh, Kavanaugh’s attorney, told The Times in a statement that the Supreme Court nominee was just friends with Dolphin. > > “They attended one high school event together and shared a brief kiss good night following that event,” the statement read. > > But she claims he’s mistaken. > > “I think Brett must have me confused with someone else, because I never kissed him,” Dolphin said. It also seems clear that the Latinesque first name triggered the Latin yearbook references. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/18 "2018-09-28T18:00:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Here’s what that opening statement said in that respect: “One thing in particular we were sad about, one of our good—one of our good female friends who we would admire and went to dances with had her name used on on the yearbook page with the term alumnus. That term was clumsily used to show affection, to show she was one of us.” “Alumnus” (pl. “alumni”, f. “alumna”), of course, usually refers to being a graduate of an institution or a former member of an organization. It sounds very odd for a group of (male) friends to describe themselves as “alumni” of another (female) friend in order to “show affection” for her or to show that she’s “one of them”. Especially if said friend didn’t even know about that “term of affection” at the time. If, on the other hand, the term was an indirect way for a group of boys to boast that they’d all been sexually intimate in some way (or at least pretended to have been) with a female so-called friend, and were using her name to designate a sort of sexual rite of passage or learning experience that they’d all shared, then the usage makes perfect sense. Disgusting, of course, but perfectly comprehensible in its meaning. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/19 "2018-09-28T18:25:30Z")
> [@Cotelo](#): > > I too was curious when I saw references to “Renate Alumnius”. I don’t think it is an error, typo, joke, or mix up. It’s been many years since I studied Latin, but the ending -ius is the masculine nominative declension of the word. I think you missed a key point in your first link. The -ius inflection turns a noun into an **adjective**. That does indeed change its meaning, but I’m not sure to exactly what in this case. However, the noun modified is a woman’s name, so the adjective should have been feminine, not masculine: Renate alumnia. > [@](#): > > I’ve referenced these additional resources: [https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ius](https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/-ius) and en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative\_case ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068/20 "2018-09-28T19:10:47Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I think you missed a key point in your first link. The -ius inflection turns a noun into an **adjective**. That does indeed change its meaning, but I’m not sure to exactly what in this case. I don’t think this makes sense, since “alumnus” is already adjectival in the sense of “that is nourished, brought up”. Also, not all adjectives and with -ius; compare the related adjective “almus” and note that “almius” is not a word. I may well also be missing some subtle distinction between substantive nouns and adjective nouns, but it would be good to have a better explanation (also of why the word(?) “alumnius” does not occur in the literature). > [@](#): > > However, the noun modified is a woman’s name, so the adjective should have been feminine, not masculine: Renate alumnia. If the phrase referred to Renate/Renata, why does it appear next to some guy’s picture among a list of his other titles? A simpler explanation is that it is an epithet of him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-alumnius-a-word/822068.md?page=2)