archive

American  

[ahr-kahyv] / ˈɑr kaɪv /

noun

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

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 archives, a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.

3. 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.

4. Digital Technology.

   1. 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.

   2. a collection of digital data stored in this way.

   3. a computer file containing one or more compressed files.

   4. a collection of information permanently stored on the internet.

      The magazine has its entire archive online, from 1923 to the present.

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verb (used with object)

archived, archiving

1. to place or store in an archive.

   to vote on archiving the city's historic documents.

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

archive British  

/ ˈɑːkaɪv /

noun

1. a collection of records of or about an institution, family, etc

2. a place where such records are kept

3. computing data transferred to a tape or disk for long-term storage rather than frequent use

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verb

1. to store (documents, data, etc) in an archive or other repository

Other Word Forms

• archival adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

The extensive archives survived the fire, and Tim Schneider hopes that they can help return photos and revive cherished memories for community members who lost personal memorabilia to the smoke and flames.

From Los Angeles Times

They said the deal allows Meta to retrieve new information for users of its artificial-intelligence products and to train on other content, such as story archives.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iranian state television reported Khamenei's death in the early hours of Sunday, broadcasting archive images with a black banner.

From Barron's

During his performance later, he brought out Amy's old band and used archive footage of the star, keeping her legacy intact.

From BBC

Their requests to transfer archives and databases were denied, and if they want to resume their activities in Sanaa at any point, they will have to start "from square zero".

From BBC

Related Words

• annals