Ostrogoth
/ˈɒstrəɡɒθ/noun
A member of the eastern branch of the Goths, a Germanic people who established a kingdom in Italy in the fifth and sixth centuries.
Did you know?The name’s eastern element is related to the same ancient word-family behind “east,” “Easter,” and Latin “aurora,” all linked to dawn and the sunrise.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ews-
“To dawn or brighten; the root associated with the rising sun.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*austrōn
“East or dawn, later developing into Germanic words for the eastern direction.”
Gothic
Gothic
Austra
“East; the directional element used to distinguish the eastern Goths.”
Late Antiquity
Gothic
Gutans
“Goths; the people-name combined with the eastern element.”
6th Century
Latin
Ostrogothi
“The Ostrogoths, recorded in Latin histories as the eastern branch of the Goths.”
Modern English
English
Ostrogoth
“A member of the eastern Gothic people, especially those who ruled Italy under Theodoric the Great.”