archive

[ahr-kahyv] /ˈɑr kaɪv/
noun
1.
Usually, archives. documents or records relating to the activities, business dealings, etc., of a person, family, corporation, association, community, or nation.
2.
archives, a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.
3.
any extensive record or collection of data:
The encyclopedia is an archive of world history. The experience was sealed in the archive of her memory.
4.
Digital Technology.
  1. a long-term storage device, as a disk or magnetic tape, or a computer directory or folder that contains copies of files for backup or future reference.
  2. a collection of digital data stored in this way.
  3. a computer file containing one or more compressed files.
  4. a collection of information permanently stored on the Internet:
    The magazine has its entire archive online, from 1923 to the present.
verb (used with object), archived, archiving.
5.
to place or store in an archive:
to vote on archiving the city's historic documents.
6.
Digital Technology. to compress (computer files) and store them in a single file.
Origin
1595-1605; orig., as plural < French archives < Latin archī(v)a < Greek archeîa, orig. plural of archeîon public office, equivalent to arch() magistracy, office + -eion suffix of place
Examples from the web for archiving
  • Because they say, at one point, that immediate deletion is not always practicable due to the way the archiving systems operate.
  • We've been archiving so much stuff from the band's early days, concert footage and interviews and stuff.
  • If this format is an option within the software you're using, it's ideal for archiving high-quality copies of your photos.
  • As your published record grows, your archiving costs will surely grow, too.
  • It's great for archiving material for your own needs, but virtually impossible to share your web clippings with others.
  • Someone may eavesdrop on this and record the full traffic stream, archiving it in the encrypted format.
  • Unfortunately, the archiving policies are sometimes ignored by researchers.
British Dictionary definitions for archiving

archive

/ˈɑːkaɪv/
noun (often pl)
1.
a collection of records of or about an institution, family, etc
2.
a place where such records are kept
3.
(computing) data transferred to a tape or disk for long-term storage rather than frequent use
verb (transitive)
4.
to store (documents, data, etc) in an archive or other repository
Derived Forms
archival, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Late Latin archīvum, from Greek arkheion repository of official records, from arkhē government
Word Origin and History for archiving

archive

v.

1819 (implied in archived), from archives. Related: Archiving.