verst

American  

[vurst, verst] / vɜrst, vɛrst /

Or verste,

noun

1. a Russian measure of distance equivalent to 3,500 feet, or 0.6629 mile (1.067 kilometers).

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verst British  

/ vɛəst, vɜːst /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of verst

First recorded in 1545–55; from French verste or German Werst, from Russian verstá; Old Russian vĭrsta “age, agemate, pair, measure of length,” cognate with Czech vrstva “layer, stratum, bed,” Polish warstwa “layer, coating, sheet,” Serbo-Croatian vŕsta “sort, kind, species,” Old Church Slavonic vrĭsta “age, time of life,” from unrecorded Slavic vĭrsta “turn, bend,” from the Proto-Indo-European extended root wert- “to turn, wind,” source of Latin vertere “to turn,” and English suffix -ward ( def. ); see convert ¹, verse

Example Sentences

Drapes of eggshell rayon silk, fully a verst of it, hung from the ceiling to the floor.

From Time Magazine Archive

She stopped under the cross, and, looking around, saw that the man was half a verst distant, staggering along toward the town.

From Hania by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Looking out of the windows we could see four long trains ahead of us, and one about half a verst behind us.

From In the Russian Ranks A Soldier's Account of the Fighting in Poland by Morse, John

Quick he ran a verst, a second, For a short space well proceeded, When he suddenly stopped standing, Would not stir from his position.

From Kalevala, The Land of the Heroes, Volume Two by Lönnrot, Elias

Its length is six hundred verst, and its peaks seem to be crushed under the heavy clouds.

From Empires and Emperors of Russia, China, Korea, and Japan Notes and Recollections by Monsignor Count Vay de Vaya and Luskod by Vay, P?ter