archives
/'ɑ:kitreiv/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun (plural):
- A collection of historical documents or records: "Archives" refers to a systematic accumulation of materials, typically of historical significance, that are preserved for long-term storage and research.
- The place where such records are kept: "Archives" can also refer to the physical or digital repository, such as a building, department, or database, where these records are stored and managed.
Usage
- The term "archives" is almost always used in its plural form, even when referring to a single collection or institution.
- It functions as a countable noun (e.g., "the national archives," "several archives").
- It can be used with a singular or plural verb depending on whether it refers to the institution (singular) or the collection of items (plural), though a singular verb is common for the institution.
- The archives is open to the public. (Referring to the institution as a single entity).
- The archives contain valuable letters. (Referring to the collection of items).
Examples
- Noun:
- Historians spent months researching in the university archives.
- The digital archives provide access to thousands of scanned photographs.
- She works for the National Archives.
Advanced Usage
- "to place/consign something to the archives": To officially store something in an archive, often implying it is of historical value or no longer in active use.
- The original treaty was placed in the national archives for safekeeping.
- "to archive" (verb): The related verb meaning to place or store in an archive.
- The library will archive the old newspapers.
Variants and Related Words
- Archive (noun, singular): Less commonly used to refer to a single collection or repository. Often used in computing (e.g., a compressed file archive).
- Archival (adjective): Relating to or contained in archives.
- The museum uses archival boxes to preserve the documents.
- Archivist (noun): A professional responsible for managing and organizing archives.
- The archivist helped us locate the 19th-century land deeds.
Synonyms
- Records: Official documents, often less formal or systematic than archives.
- Repository: A place where things are stored, which can be more general than archives.
- Chronicles: Historical accounts of events, often in narrative form.
Related Phrases
- Public archives: Archives maintained by a government or public institution and accessible to citizens.
- Family archives: A private collection of documents and memorabilia related to a family's history.
- Search the archives: To look for information within an archival collection.
Noun
- collection of records especially about an institution