a. Pertaining to, or contained in, archives or records. Tooke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Archives [ F. archives, pl., L. archivum, archium, fr. Gr. &unr_; government house, &unr_; &unr_; archives, fr. &unr_; the first place, government. See Archi-, pref. ] 1. pl. The place in which public records or historic documents are kept. [ 1913 Webster ]

Our words . . . . become records in God's court, and are laid up in his archives as witnesses. Gov. of Tongue. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. Public records or documents preserved as evidence of facts; as, the archives of a country or family. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Rarely used in sing. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Some rotten archive, rummaged out of some seldom explored press. Lamb. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Registers; records; chronicles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a collection of records especially about an institution. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a place where historical records and documents are kept. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. archiviste. ] A keeper of archives or records. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. archivolte, fr. It. archivolto; pref. archi- + volto vault, arch. See Vault. ] (Arch.) (a) The architectural member surrounding the curved opening of an arch, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a square opening. (b) More commonly, the molding or other ornaments with which the wall face of the voussoirs of an arch is charged. [ 1913 Webster ]