ar·chive (är?k?v?)n.1. often archives A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest: old land deeds in the municipal archives.2. Computers a. A long-term storage area, often on magnetic tape, for backup copies of files or for files that are no longer in active use.b. 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.tr.v. ar·chived, ar·chiv·ing, ar·chives 1. To place or store in an archive.2. Computers To copy or compress (a file) into an archive.[From French archives, from Latin arch?va, from Greek arkheia, pl. of arkheion, town hall, from arkh?, government, from arkhein, to rule.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.archive (???ka?v) n (often plural) 1. (Library Science & Bibliography) a collection of records of or about an institution, family, etc2. (Library Science & Bibliography) a place where such records are kept3. (Computer Science) computing data transferred to a tape, disk, or directory for long-term storage rather than frequent usevb (tr) to store (documents, data, etc) in an archive or other repository[C17: from Late Latin arch?vum, from Greek arkheion repository of official records, from arkh? government] ar?chival adjCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014ar?chive (??r ka?v) n., v. -chived, -chiv?ing. n. 1. archives, a place where documents and other materials of public or historical importance are preserved. 2. Usu., archives. the documents and other materials preserved in such a place. v.t. 3. to preserve in or as if in an archive. [1595?1605; orig., as pl.