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Synonyms

archivist

American  
[ahr-kuh-vist, -kahy-] / ˈɑr kə vɪst, -kaɪ- /

noun

  1. a person responsible for preserving, organizing, or servicing archival material.


archivist British  
/ ˈɑːkɪvɪst /

noun

  1. a person in charge of archives, their collection, and cataloguing

"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

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 You might want to get a job as an archivist, someone who is in charge of cataloguing and maintaining historical documents.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.

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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.

Martha Cooley’s moving debut from 1998, THE ARCHIVIST, is a layered literary novel about love, grief, mental illness and religion with a middle section told in diary form.

From New York Times • May 23, 2017

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