verst

or verste, werste

[ vurst, verst ]

/ vɜrst, vɛrst /

noun

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

Nearby words

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

When he had gone a verst his strength gave out, his feet were sore.
A Russian Proprietor|Lyof N. Tolstoi
At that moment, a noise was heard on the road, about half a verst distant.
Michael Strogoff|Jules Verne
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
Shortly after leaving Kharcoff, one day our march was thirty versts (a verst is three-quarters of a mile English).
A Soldier's Experience or A Voice from the Ranks: Showing the Cost of War in Blood and Treasure|Timothy Gowing

This I could not refuse; but he rode very slowly, and made the verst a very long one.
Fred Markham in Russia|W. H. G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for verst

verst

/ (vɛəst, vɜːst) /

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

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).