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History vocabulary · Sources and Archives

Archive

Meaning in history, with examples

/ˈɑːkaɪv/nounCore term

In history, archive means: A collection of historical records kept for long-term use, or the building or institution where such records are stored and made available to researchers.

In Turkish: arşiv

How it is used

Often plural: the national archives, the Ottoman archives. Researchers work in, visit or consult the archives, request files and order copies. As a verb, archive means to store records for the long term.

Example sentences

  1. I spent three months in the Ottoman archives in Istanbul reading tax registers.

  2. The family's letters were donated to the city archive in 1998.

Common collocations

  • national archives
  • archival research
  • work in the archives
  • consult the archives
  • archive material
  • archivistA professional who collects, organises, preserves and describes the records in an archive and helps researchers find and use them.
  • primary sourceEvidence created at the time being studied or by people who witnessed it, such as letters, diaries, official records, photographs or objects.
  • manuscriptA book or document written by hand, especially one produced before printing became common; also an author's text before it is published.
  • provenanceThe origin of a document or object and the record of who has owned or kept it since it was made, used to judge whether it is genuine and lawfully held.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Sources and Archives

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