Definition of archive Archive

/ɑˈɹkajˌv/ - [arkayv] - ar•chive

We found 11 definitions of archive from 6 different sources.

What does archive mean?

Noun Plural: archives
archive - a depository containing historical records and documents
		depositary, depository, repository, deposit a facility where things can be deposited for storage or safekeeping
Verb archives, archiving, archived
archive - put into an archive
		file away
		pull in, collect of trains; move into (a station); "The bullet train drew into Tokyo Station"

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archive (Noun)
A place for storing earlier, and often historical, material. An archive usually contains documents letters, records, newspapers, etc. or other types of media kept for historical interest.
archive (Noun)
The material so kept, considered as a whole compare archives.
archive (Verb)
To put into an archive.

archive (n.)
The place in which public records or historic documents are kept.
archive (n.)
Public records or documents preserved as evidence of facts; as, the archives of a country or family.

An archive is a collection of records. The term is also used for the location in which these records are kept. Archives are made up of records which have been created during the course of an individual or organization's life. In general, an archive consists of records which have been selected for permanent or long-term preservation. Records, which may be in any media, are normally unpublished, unlike books and other publications. Archives may also be generated by large organisations such as corporations and governments. Archives are different from libraries in that archives hold records which are unique. Archives can be described as holding information "by-products" of activities, while libraries hold specifically authored information "products". The word 'archives' is the correct terminology, whereas 'archive' as a noun or a verb is related to computer science.

A person who works in archives is called an archivist. The study and practice of organizing, preserving, and providing access to information and materials in archives is called archival science.