An alumnus (Latin pronunciation: [aˈlʊmnʊs]; masculine) or an alumna ([aˈlʊmna]; feminine) of a college, university, or other school is a former student who has either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The word is Latin and simply means student. The plural is alumni [aˈlʊmniː] for men and mixed groups and alumnae [aˈlʊmnae̯] for women. The term is not synonymous with "graduate"; one can be an alumnus without graduating (Burt Reynolds, alumnus but not graduate of Florida State, is an example). The term is sometimes used to refer to a former employee or member of an organization, contributor, or inmate.