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verst

or verste, werste

[vurst, verst]
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noun
  1. a Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3500 feet or 0.6629 mile or 1.067 kilometers.
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Origin of verst

1545–55; < French verste or German Werst < Russian verstá; Old Russian vĭrsta age, agemate, pair, measure of length, cognate with Czech vrstva, Polish warstwa layer, Serbo-Croatian vŕsta sort, kind, OCS vrĭsta age, time of life < Slavic *vĭrsta literally, turn, bend, akin to *vert- turn (v. base), Latin vertere to turn (see convert1, verse)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for verst

Historical Examples

  • He told me that if I would let him ride one verst more with me he would then turn back.

    Fred Markham in Russia

    W. H. G. Kingston

  • Akm escorted them for about half a verst; he was obliged to go to the mill.

  • They drove about a verst, without saying one word to each other.

  • When he had gone a verst his strength gave out, his feet were sore.

    A Russian Proprietor

    Lyof N. Tolstoi

  • I looked back for the last time when we were half a verst along the road.

British Dictionary definitions for verst

verst

noun
  1. a unit of length, used in Russia, equal to 1.067 kilometres (0.6629 miles)
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Word Origin

C16: from French verste or German Werst, from Russian versta line
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for verst

n.

Russian unit of distance measure equal to about two-thirds of a mile, 1550s, from Russian versta, related to Old Church Slavonic vrusta "stadium," vruteti (Russian vertet) "to turn" (see versus).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper