1. A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest. Often used in the plural: old land deeds in the municipal archives.
2. Computer Science.
   1. A long-term storage area, often on magnetic tape, for backup copies of files or for files that are no longer in active use.
   2. A file containing one or more files in compressed format for more efficient storage and transfer.
3. A repository for stored memories or information: the archive of the mind.

1. To place or store in an archive.
2. Computer Science. To copy or compress (a file) into an archive.

[From French archives, from Latin archīva, from Greek arkheia, pl. of arkheion, town hall, from arkhē, government, from arkhein, to rule.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.