Versts

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A unit of length in the Russian system equivalent to approximately 3.5 kilometers or about 2.2 miles
2. A measure historically used in Russia for long distances, typically representing a stretch on land
3. Referring to a distance measurement that has been largely replaced by the metric system in contemporary usage

Etymology: "Versts" is the plural of "verst," a Russian unit of length equal to roughly 1.07 kilometres (about two-thirds of a mile). The unit's name comes from Russian "верста́" (verstá), which originally referred to a line or row, and by extension a marked distance along a road. The Russian word is ultimately tied to the idea of turning or turning back, since a furrow or row was marked by the point where the plough turned, and that sense carried over into a measured stretch of road. English borrowed the term partly through German "Werst" and partly through French "verste," so the word reached English by more than one route. Its spelling in English therefore reflects several intermediate languages rather than a direct transliteration from Russian.