archive
AR-kyve
/ˈɑːrkaɪv/
A collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people (noun); to store historical records in an archive (verb).
Emphasizes primary source documents, records, and papers rather than physical art objects or archaeological artifacts.
The story behind the word. Traces back to the Greek archeia, the plural of archeion, meaning 'town hall' or 'public office'. This was derived from arche, meaning 'government, rule, or beginning'. It was the place where official state documents were kept.
Word relationships
- repository: A repository is any place where things are stored, while an archive specifically stores historical documents and records.
Commonly confused with
- library: A library contains published books and materials for general reading, whereas an archive contains unpublished, primary source historical records.
Word family
- archival (adjective): Relating to or preserved in an archive.
- archivist (noun): A person who maintains and is in charge of archives.
Collocations
- historical archive
- digital archive
- national archive
- archive records
Example sentences
- "The historian spent months in the national archive, reading the private letters of the former president." Historical research
Memory hook
An archive is where we keep 'archaic' (ancient) documents safe. The house of official records.
When not to use
Do not use when referring to a collection of physical paintings or sculptures (use 'collection' or 'gallery' instead).
Fun facts
- The Vatican Apostolic Archive contains 53 miles of shelving, housing some of the most famous historical documents in existence, including the petition for Henry VIII's annulment.
Related words
Explore more words
record, document, memorabilia, repository, artifact, chronicle
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