“Archival” is a short form of the adjective “archival”. Indicates the importance of the subject or phenomenon being discussed for the speaker. Synonyms - super important, extremely important, very important.
Antonyms of the word: insignificant, unimportant, trifling.
Currently, the word "archival" has acquired a playful, ironic, somewhat bookish tone.
Origin
The prefix of Greek origin "archi" (translated as "senior", "chief") originally served to designate special, supreme posts in the hierarchical clergy: archbishop, archdeacon, bishop. All these posts, by the way, still exist, and these words, therefore, are in use.
In ancient Greek and liturgical literature there is a noun "archistratig". It designated the supreme commander, as well as the eldest angel among the heavenly angelic powers.
Using
Later, the prefix became widespread and began to be used with nouns to denote persons whose qualities — personal or professional — the speaker had a high opinion of. So, instead of “rogue” he will say “archiplut”, instead of “talent” he will say “architect”, instead of “hard worker” he will respectfully say “architect”.
The prefix can also be used with adjectives to report on the superior properties of an object or phenomenon: “archinelope”, “archrudny”, “archyglupy”, “archinteresting”, etc.
It should be noted that, since the word clearly has an ironic connotation, in our time, wishing to give seriousness to the words, the prefix "archi" is likely to prefer to be replaced by other, more modern ones: super important, big, super important. Or the simplest is very important.
Favorite word of Lenin
This word could be used even before Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, but it was the leader of the world proletariat who brought it to the masses. There is documentary evidence of how Ilyich loved this word: on the documents of those years, his own hand-held resolution was preserved: "Archive!"
Here is an excerpt from Lenin's theses written on the article by Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya "On Polytechnic Education":
This is crucial. We are beggars. We need joiners, locksmith, right away. Of course. Everyone should become joiners, locksmiths, etc., but with such an addition of a general educational and polytechnic minimum.
There is evidence that Lenin also used other words of a similar construction: “archinteresting” and “architrual task”.
Considerable merit in popularizing “archival” belongs to Soviet cinema, in the films of which the leader of the world proletariat in his speeches must have uttered this word. And so it happened that "archival" is Lenin's favorite word.
So it fell into poetry. So, in Russian, Soviet poet, writer, publicist Alexander Levikov (real name Agranovich), the following lines belong:
"Archive!" - leader once
On paper I deduced ...
We told you that this is “crucial” about the meaning and origin of the word.