'alumni-related' originates from Modern English, specifically the compound of 'alumni' and 'related'; 'alumni' ultimately comes from Latin 'alumnus' (from 'alere'), where 'alere' meant 'to nourish', and 'related' comes from Latin 'relatus' (from 'referre'), where 're-' meant 'back' and 'ferre' meant 'to carry'.

'alumni' came into English from Medieval/Neo-Latin (Latin 'alumnus') and has been used in English to mean 'graduates'; 'related' is the past participle of 'relate', from Latin 'relatus' via Old French/Latin, and the hyphenated compound 'alumni-related' is a Modern English formation combining the two elements.

Initially, Latin 'alumnus' meant 'foster child' or 'nursling' and later came to mean 'pupil' or 'graduate'; 'related' originally had senses connected to 'carried back' or 'brought into relation' and evolved to mean 'connected to'—together the compound now means 'connected to graduates'.