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archive

AR-kyve /ˈɑːr.kaɪv/

nounverbC1GRETOEFLIELTS

professionaltechnical

A collection of historical records or inactive data kept for long-term preservation; or, to move data to such a collection.

Archiving implies that the data is no longer actively used or edited, but must be kept for legal, historical, or compliance reasons. It is usually compressed and stored on slower, cheaper media.

The story behind the word. In ancient Greece, the arkheion was the house of the chief magistrate (the archon), where official state documents and public records were kept. Over time, the word evolved to mean the records themselves, eventually entering English as archive.

Word relationships

depository: A depository is any place where things are stored, whereas an archive specifically implies historical, organized, and preserved records.
storehouse: Storehouse is a literal or figurative place for keeping goods, lacking the specific digital preservation nuance of archive.

active files: Active files are documents currently being used, edited, and accessed regularly, as opposed to archived files.

Commonly confused with

backup: A backup is a temporary safety copy of active data, while an archive is a permanent, long-term storage solution for inactive data.

Word family

archival (adjective): Relating to or suitable for archives.
archivist (noun): A person maintaining or in charge of archives.

Collocations

digital archive
archive files
historical archive
move to archive

Example sentences

"To free up space on the active mail server, we archive all emails that are more than two years old." Managing corporate email storage.
"The university maintains a digital archive of all scientific papers published by its faculty since 1950." A researcher looking for historical data.

Memory hook

Think of an 'arch' in an ancient building. Underneath the old stone arch, the ancient archives are stored. Archived files are put away in the digital attic.

When not to use

Do not use archive for a temporary copy of active files that you might need to recover tomorrow (use backup instead).

Fun facts

The famous internet archive 'The Wayback Machine' has been archiving the entire World Wide Web since 1996, preserving billions of web pages that would otherwise have vanished forever.