 thumb|right|document in which the word "ostarrichi" is first mentioned (red circle). this document, dated 996, marks the founding of austria, according to the modern austrian government. the german name of austria, , derives from the old high german word , which is recorded in the ostarrÃ®chi document of 996. this word is thought to be a translation of the latin marchia orientalis ("eastern borderland") into a local dialect.online etymological dictionary, "austria" this was a march, or borderland, of the duchy of bavaria created in 976. reich also means "realm" or "empire". ostmark, a translation of marchia orientalis into standard german, was used officially when the country was annexed by nazi germany in 1938. the name "austria" is a latinization of Ãsterreich, which was first recorded in the 12th century. this has led to much confusion as german ost is "east", but latin auster is "south", here (with austria being north of the latin language area) denoting a southern borderland of the german language area. ==german name== ===etymology=== Ãsterreich is derived from old high german ostarrÃ®chi. the term probably originates as a vernacular translation of the latin name  (eastern borderland).k. bosl, history of bavaria, darmstadt 1965, 346 note 54 journal of bavarian history 18 (1955) 158. the ostar- is related to old high german Åstan "eastern", but its exact derivation is unclear.see ostara for a detailed discussion of this word. old high german rihhi had the meaning of "realm, domain". the marchia orientalis, also called the bavarian eastern march (ostmark'ostmark is a reconstruction by 19th century scholars and no medieval example has been found. (pohl, heinz-dieter, "ostarrÃ®chi 996 â 1996")) and the march of austria (marchiam austriae), was a prefecture of the duchy of bavaria. it was assigned to the babenberg family in 976. the variant ostarrÃ®chi is known from a single usage dated 996. later medieval documents record the word as either osterrÃ®che (official) or as osterlant (folk and poetic usage)."ostarrÃ®chi" aeiou encyclopedia.zÃ¶llner, erich, geschichte Ãsterreichs: von den anfÃ¤ngen bis zur gegenwart (1990), p. 63. 
Country_name_etymology History_of_Austria