Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • The German state: "Reich" refers to a historical German nation or empire, often used in specific historical contexts to denote periods of German governance.
   • A surname: "Reich" is also a family name, notably belonging to individuals such as the composer Steve Reich and the psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun (Historical State):

  • The Holy Roman Empire was also known as the Holy Roman Reich.
  • Historians study the economic policies of the Third Reich.

• Proper noun (Surname):

  • The minimalist composition "Music for 18 Musicians" is by Steve Reich.
  • Wilhelm Reich's theories were controversial in his time.

Advanced Usage

• "Reich" as a historical concept: The term is often used in academic and historical discourse to refer to specific eras, such as the First Reich (Holy Roman Empire), the Second Reich (German Empire 1871–1918), and the Third Reich (Nazi Germany 1933–1945).
  • The concept of a "Fourth Reich" is sometimes used in political rhetoric, though it is not a historical state.

Variants and Related Words

• Reichsmark (n): The historical currency of Germany from 1924 to 1948.

  • The old coin was worth ten Reichsmarks.

• Reichstag (n): The historic German parliament building.

  • The Reichstag building in Berlin is now home to the modern German parliament.

Synonyms

• Empire: A major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority.
• Realm: A community or territory over which a sovereign rules.

Notes on Usage

• The term "Reich" is strongly associated with 20th-century German history. When used alone, it most commonly evokes the Nazi period (the Third Reich). In modern contexts, it is primarily used in historical discussion. The contemporary German state is the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland).

Noun

1. United States composer (born in 1936)
2. Austrian born psychoanalyst who lived in the United States; advocated sexual freedom and believed that cosmic energy could be concentrated in a human being (1897-1957)
3. the German state