archivist
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of archivist
From the French word archiviste, dating back to 1745–55. See archive, -ist
Explanation
Do you love collecting and organizing things? You might want to get a job as an archivist, someone who is in charge of cataloguing and maintaining historical documents. Archivists' work involves acquiring and caring for records, papers, books, and items with some kind of historical importance. A collection of these documents is known as an archive, and the place where they're kept is also an archive. Museum archivists carefully organize items, often writing descriptions of each piece and storing them protectively. Other archivists care for the collected writings — including drafts, letters, and diaries — of famous authors.
Vocabulary lists containing archivist
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 28–October 5, 2024
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for December 15–December 21, 2024
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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.
While translating from Ottoman Turkish, an archivist substituted out the original owner and inserted Seit Shehu’s name instead, a court found.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
A trained art conservator, she is the unofficial archivist for our grade-school class.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Agency for International Development, as well as the acting archivist of the United States.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
Cliff reflected on the song in 1986, telling reggae archivist Roger Steffens: "The essence of my music is struggle. What gives it the icing is the hope of love."
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025
Two tiny figures made their way through the center of it: Magister Brangwain Spurge and the goblin archivist Werfel, fleeing from the crashed sphere.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
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.
