archival

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Relating to an archive or to old records and documents kept for the future.

   The documentary used rare archival footage from the 1940s.

2. 2
   adj

   Made to last a long time and suitable for safely storing valuable items.

   The photos were printed on archival paper so they would not fade.

The adjective is derived from archive (“place for storing earlier, and often historical, material; material so kept, considered as a whole”, noun) + -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). The noun is derived from archive (“to put (something) in an archive”, verb) + -al (suffix forming nouns, especially of verbal action).

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