What is the exact meaning of "archive" attribute

Question

after creating any folder or file we can set its attribute as read-only,hidden and archive

we r using so many times read-only and hidden attrb.

so what is the meaning of "archive"

pls tell me

Answer 1

archive is what the computer uses to know if the file has been backed up or not.  Some backups will set the archive once it backs up the file.  As soon as that file is modified it will remove the archive attribute.  

SO basicly its the computers way of monitoring if a file has been backed up or not.

Answer 2

Archive :(noun) computer data transferred to a disk or tape for long

term storage.

Archive : (verb) to transfer( computer data not needed for immediate access) to a disk or tape for long term storage.