archive
/ˈɑːkaɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɑːrkaɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈär-ˌkīv/ (ame, mw) · /ˈɑː.kaɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɑːr.kaɪv/ (ame, ipa)
archive — noun
1. a group of old letters, photographs, films, or papers belonging to a family, gov
a group of old letters, photographs, films, or papers belonging to a family, government, or organization, kept because they show what happened in the past.
The Lin family archive contains love letters written during the 1940s.
the [family] archive contains [items]
Researchers found a rare map in the city's archives last month.
in the [place]'s archives
The BBC archives hold thousands of radio shows from the 1950s.
Maria spent three years sorting her grandfather's wartime archive of photos.
Most of these letters come from the personal archive of a Japanese poet.
- records
broader; any official document, not always old
- papers
informal; usually written documents of one person
- collection
neutral; any grouped items, not necessarily historical
文法句型
the archives of [organization]
from the archive
用法筆記
Frequently plural ('archives') when referring to a body of materials as a whole; singular ('archive') is common with a possessor like 'the family archive'. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the materials themselves, not the building.
常見錯誤
2. a building or room where old documents, photographs, or films are kept safe so t
a building or room where old documents, photographs, or films are kept safe so that people can study them.
Dr. Kenji works at the National Archives three days a week.
work at the [name] Archives
Visitors must wear cotton gloves before entering the archives.
enter the archives (place rules)
The university archives are on the ground floor of the old library.
Reporters dug through the city archives to find the mayor's old speeches.
The archives close at 5 p.m., so Otto hurried to copy the letter.
- repository
formal; any place where things are stored, not always historical
- library
broader; mainly books, open to general readers
- records office
official; usually a government building for legal records
文法句型
in/at the archives
the [name] Archives
用法筆記
Almost always plural with 'the' when referring to a place ('at the archives'). Subject is usually an institution that owns the building (university, government, broadcaster). Distinguish from sense 1, which can be singular and refers to the materials themselves.
常見錯誤
3. a single computer file that holds older emails, photos, or data you do not need
a single computer file that holds older emails, photos, or data you do not need every day, often packed together to save space.
Yusuf moved last year's emails into an archive to clean up his inbox.
move [data] into an archive
The photo archive on the cloud takes up about 40 gigabytes of space.
on the cloud / on [a drive]
Please download the zip archive and unpack it to your desktop.
Old project files sit in a backup archive on the office server.
The chat app keeps a searchable archive of every message Otto has sent.
- live data
data still in daily use, not yet archived
文法句型
a [zip/tar] archive
extract from an archive
用法筆記
Often modified by a tech word that names the format ('zip', 'tar') or the medium ('cloud', 'backup', 'email'). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is digital and is always one file or folder, not a collection of physical papers.
常見錯誤
archive — verb
1. to put old letters, papers, or photographs into a safe place so that future read
to put old letters, papers, or photographs into a safe place so that future readers and researchers can still find and use them.
The library archives every local newspaper printed since 1920.
archive + [historical material]
Volunteers helped Mrs. Chen archive her late husband's wartime diaries.
The museum has archived more than ten thousand glass negatives this year.
Family photos should be archived in cool, dry boxes away from sunlight.
Reporters' notebooks from the trial were carefully archived at the courthouse.
- discard
throw away rather than keep
文法句型
archive + noun (records, letters, photos)
用法筆記
Subject is usually an institution (library, museum, archive office) or someone working on its behalf. Frequently passive when the focus is on the materials. Distinguish from verb sense 2: this sense covers physical papers and photographs; sense 2 is about computer data.
常見錯誤
2. to move computer files, emails, or messages out of your daily workspace and keep
to move computer files, emails, or messages out of your daily workspace and keep them in long-term storage that you rarely open.
Tap the folder icon to archive emails you no longer want in your inbox.
archive emails / messages
Yusuf archived last year's project files before clearing his laptop.
The system automatically archives messages older than six months.
Old chat logs are archived on the company server every Friday night.
Please archive the design files so the new team can find them later.
文法句型
archive + noun (emails, files, messages)
用法筆記
Object is usually digital data (emails, messages, files, logs). Often used in passive with 'on' a server or drive. Distinguish from verb sense 1, which is about physical historical materials and is typical of museums and libraries.