archive

1 of 2

noun

ar·​chive ˈär-ˌkīv 

1

: a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved

an archive of historical manuscripts

a film archive

also : the material preserved

—often used in plural

reading through the archives

2

: a repository or collection especially of information

archive

2 of 2

verb

archived; archiving

transitive verb

: to file or collect in or as if in an archive

archive documents

archived tissue samples

Synonyms

Noun

• library

Examples of archive in a Sentence

Verb

The organization was devoted to cataloging and archiving printed materials on the labor movement.

She archived her e-mail messages in a folder on her hard drive.

a collection of archived articles

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The minute-by-minute account of the deadliest natural disaster of his century is a mix of first-hand testimony, archive and a look at the legacy of the wave, which claimed nearly 230,000 lives across nations of the Indian Ocean. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 18 July 2024

Rhizome’s online archives document digital culture by preserving interactive copies of websites. —The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 16 July 2024

Verb

The event will be archived and available for replay on the Company's website. —Miami Herald, 9 July 2024

The event will also be archived and available for replay on the Company's website. —Kansas City Star, 9 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

French & Latin; French, from Latin archivum, from Greek archeion government house (in plural, official documents), from archē rule, government — more at arch-

First Known Use

Noun

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1831, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

archive

1 of 2 noun

ar·​chive ˈär-ˌkīv 

1

: a place in which public records or historical documents are preserved

also : the material preserved

—usually used in plural

2

: a collection of information

archive

2 of 2 verb

archived; archiving

: to file or collect in or as if in an archive

was archiving documents