Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A Russian measure of linear distance equivalent to about two thirds of a mile.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • A simplified spelling of versed.
  • noun A Russian measure of length, containing 3,500 English feet, or very nearly two thirds of an English mile, and somewhat more than a kilometer.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A Russian measure of length containing 3,500 English feet.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A Russian unit of length, equivalent to about 1.07 kilometres or about 2/3 of a mile.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a Russian unit of length (1.067 km)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French verste or German Werst, both from Russian versta; see wer- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Russian верста (verstá), partly through German Werst and French verste.

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Examples

  • ‡ A verst is a measure of length, about 3500 English feet.

    A Hero of Our Time 2003

  • [2] A verst is a measure of length, about 3500 English feet.

    A Hero of Our Time 1916

  • Yanansk, Dankov; partly through the Russian words, such as verst

    Americans All Stories of American Life of To-Day Various

  • [Footnote 1: A retail shop and tavern combined.] [Footnote 2: A verst is a measure of length, about 3500 English feet.] [Footnote 3: Ermolov, i.e. General Ermolov.

    A Hero of Our Time Mikhail Yurevich Lermontov 1827

  • The author of this article, me, Chris Burns, is verst only in the small-time wheatpasting technique and small-town spraypainting.

    World Famous Design Junkies » 2010 » February 2010

  • When I think about our country, how we have thrown away our Constitution, turned our backs against those who needed our help, forced our industrial-military complex down the throats of everyone living in the Third World, promoted racism and militarism throughout the world, then I remember the shortest verst in the Bible: Jesus wept.

    Think Progress » Taking Out the Trash: Cheney Directly Involved In Leak Scandal 2005

  • Lord of ladders, what for lungitube I Can you read the verst legend hereon?

    Finnegans Wake 2006

  • This time I continued out the village gate and less than a verst up the road to the vineyards.

    Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine 2004

  • This time I continued out the village gate and less than a verst up the road to the vineyards.

    Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine 2004

  • On one of them sat tall Yankel, his long, curling ear-locks flowing from beneath his Jewish cap, as he bounced about on the horse, like a verst-mark planted by the roadside.

    Taras Bulba 2003

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