archival
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of archival
Explanation
Anything archival relates to an archive, which is a record or collection of historical materials. Archival resources document the past. Most libraries have a special place for archival documents, like old newspapers and photos. An archive is a collection of older things such as books, music, or documents. Many librarians and curators collect and care for archives. Anything archival relates to an archive. An archival record documents everything in an archive, such as an archive of 19th century poetry. An archival search is a search of an archive, such as an archive of birth certificates. This word has to do with historical collections. Scholars who study the past often have to do archival research.
Vocabulary lists containing archival
Play by the Rules: Arch
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Salt to the Sea
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myPerspectives 9.6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But "signs of life" were detected in the debris during a search on Monday, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival told GMA News in an interview, adding that officials remain in "rescue mode".
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026
Archival photos, maps and short films trace the Chinese-Canadian experience, starting in the late-1880s when a wave of immigrants arrived to build the Canadian Pacific Railway.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025
We have published this release to coincide with the latest round of James Webb Space Telescope General Observer, Survey and Archival Research programs.
From Science Daily • Oct. 27, 2025
The occasion was none other than Archival Revival, a party thrown in celebration of Image Magazine’s September issue, Image Makers, and Issue 14 of Ursula, Hauser & Wirth’s magazine.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2025
Archival storage, use copies, browsing copies—ought an attempt to set standards even be made?
From Library of Congress Workshop on Etexts by Library of Congress
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
