archive

[ ahr-kahyv ]

/ ˈɑr kaɪv /

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See synonyms for: archive / archives on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually archives. documents or records relating to the activities, business dealings, etc., of a person, family, corporation, association, community, or nation.

archives, a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.

any extensive record or collection of data: The encyclopedia is an archive of world history. The experience was sealed in the archive of her memory.

Digital Technology.

a long-term storage device, as a disk or magnetic tape, or a computer directory or folder that contains copies of files for backup or future reference.
a collection of digital data stored in this way.
a computer file containing one or more compressed files.
a collection of information permanently stored on the internet: The magazine has its entire archive online, from 1923 to the present.

verb (used with object), ar·chived, ar·chiv·ing.

to place or store in an archive: to vote on archiving the city's historic documents.

Digital Technology. to compress (computer files) and store them in a single file.

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Origin of archive

First recorded in 1595–1605; originally, as plural, from French archives, from the Late Latin plural noun archīva, archīa “public records,” from Greek archeîa “public records,” plural of archeîon “town hall, public office,” equivalent to archḗ “magistracy, office” + -eion suffix of location

Words nearby archive

architecture, architecture parlante, architrave, archival, archival storage, archive, archivist, archivolt, archliberal, archlute, archly

How to use archive in a sentence

If you did like this episode, there’s another one from our archive you might enjoy.
Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question? (Ep. 451)|Stephen J. Dubner|February 11, 2021|Freakonomics
Forecasting companies have access to huge amounts of historical data—runway photography, fashion magazine archives, and their own research—on top of all the information constantly flowing out of potential consumers on social media.
Tech-savvy fashion forecasters already know what you’ll be wearing in two years|Rachael Zisk|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
The business world has spent decades searching for the right piece of software that would allow workers to communicate with each other quickly, pleasantly, and without getting distracted or losing key pieces of information in labyrinthine archives.
The key to fixing work is culture, not digital tools|Nicolás Rivero|February 7, 2021|Quartz
Although screenshots of authentic tweets that have since been deleted do occasionally go viral, they are very often saved to an authoritative Internet archive, such as the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Debunking anti-vaxxer RFK Jr.’s claim about ‘suspicious’ coronavirus vaccine deaths, a phony Elon Musk tweet and more news literacy lessons|Valerie Strauss|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

He was a total pro, and his insightful columns of film criticism elevated our arts coverage and will live forever in our archive.
Financial manager, Blade film critic Brian Carney dies at 58|Lou Chibbaro Jr.|February 4, 2021|Washington Blade
What was not so well known was that there also existed an archive of color images from the war, the result of then new technology.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The court house is now the Anthology Archive and the firehouse is a Chinese community center.
Pryor Dodge's Two-Wheeled Obsession Is Now a Museum of Bike History|Anthony Haden-Guest|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John then introduced us to his brother Tony, and then we found out that John had kept an incredible archive of his life.
Making 'The Dog': The Amazing True Story Behind ‘Dog Day Afternoon’|Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And again, Internet Archive was created by people involved in the open software movement.
The Real Legacy of Richard Nixon|Scott Porch|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The other thing that is very powerful is the Internet Archive, which has an enormous amount of government documents.
The Real Legacy of Richard Nixon|Scott Porch|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She came rushing out of the archive laden with precious records up to her chin.
The Brain|Alexander Blade
Scans for this book can be found in the Internet Archive (copy 1).
Breton Legends|Anonymous
Scans for this book are available from the Internet Archive (copy 1, 2, 3, 4).
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
Scans for this book are available from the Internet Archive (copy 1, 2, 3).
The Churches and Modern Thought|Philip Vivian
This book was prepared of scans of the second edition, available on the Internet Archive: 1, 2, 3.
Basque Legends|Wentworth Webster

British Dictionary definitions for archive

Derived forms of archive

archival, adjective

Word Origin for archive

C17: from Late Latin archīvum, from Greek arkheion repository of official records, from arkhē government

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012