Word Origin & History
1605, the "East Goths," who conquered Italy late 5c. and established, under Theodric, a kingdom there that lasted from 493 to 555 C.E., from L.L. Ostrogothæ, lit. "eastern Goths" from P.Gmc. *aust(a)r- "east" (for second element, see Goth, also Visigoth), but according to some this is a folk corruption
of an earlier Austrogoti, from a Gmc. compound, the first element of which means "shining" or "splendid," from P.Gmc. *austr-, from PIE *ausr- (see aurora
), which is also, via "sunrise," the root of the L. word for "east."