(IPA: ; German: IPA: ), is the German word for "realm" or "empire", cognate with Scandinavian rike/rige, Dutch rijk and English ric as found in bishopric. It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history. It is also found in the compound Königreich, "kingdom", and in the country names Frankreich (France, literally the "Realm of the Franks") and Österreich (Austria, the "Eastern Realm"). The German version of the Lord's Prayer uses the words Dein Reich komme for "ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου" (usually translated as "thy kingdom come" in English). "Reich" can be translated in at least ten different ways: State, empire, nation, land, region, country, realm, commonwealth, domain, and res publica. ^* Used adjectivally, reich is the German word for "rich", so there is also an overlap in meaning with "commonwealth". Like its Latin counterpart, imperium, Reich does not necessarily connote a monarchy. The Weimar Republic continued to use the name Deutsches Reich.

Reich, German

The term Reich was part of the German names for Germany for much of its history. The German name for the "Holy Roman Empire" (9th century–1806) is Heiliges Römisches Reich. In Middle High German, der rîche was a title for the Emperor. However, it should be noted that Latin, not German, was the formal legal language of the medieval Empire, so English-speaking historians are more likely to use Latin imperium than German Reich as a term for this period of German history.