verst

or verste, werste

[vurst, verst]

noun

a Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3500 feet or 0.6629 mile or 1.067 kilometers.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for verst

Historical Examples of verst

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.
The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories
Ivn Turgnieff
They drove about a verst, without saying one word to each other.
The Diary of a Superfluous Man and Other Stories
Ivn Turgnieff
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.
In the Russian Ranks
John Morse

British Dictionary definitions for verst

verst

noun

a unit of length, used in Russia, equal to 1.067 kilometres (0.6629 miles)

Word Origin for verst

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

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).