In classical works and other sources of information about times past, you probably have often come across such a word as “verst”. It is difficult to imagine the distance, size or length of anything, without even the slightest idea of the meaning of the word.
Have you ever wondered what the word “versta” means when it appeared and what was commonly called? This question refers to many other facts about ancient units.
Meaning of the word “verst”
As already mentioned, versts are an old measure of length. The meaning of the word "verst" has long been outdated and is now used very rarely. This happened when in 1924 the metric system of measurement was introduced in the Soviet Union, thereby eradicating the use of the word “verst”.
Versta was used to indicate distance or length in two cases. To indicate the distance from point to point, the so-called track verst was used.
There was another type of verst. It was called a boundary. As the name implies, such a measure of length was used when measuring the area of the land. Such a mile was twice the track.
One more thing can be said about the lexical meaning of the word “verst”. Previously, there was the concept of “milestones”. These were actually pillars with marks of distance from a given point. Such road facilities were installed throughout the central part of our country.
What is equal to verst?
In order to fully understand the interpretation of the word "verst", you need to know how far this concept represents.
It will be clearer for a modern person to express a mile away in kilometers, since this measure is currently most often used to denote large distances. So, the track verst will be 1 kilometer and 66.8 meters. Accordingly, the boundary milestone will be 2 kilometers and 133.6 meters.
These designations correspond to the last value of the milestone before the 1924 reform. In fact, the length of the verst often fluctuated. By 1924, the track verst was equal to 500 fathoms, and the boundary - 1,000 fathoms. One fathom at that time was 2.1336 meters.
Solovetsky verst
Surely all readers know the Solovetsky Monastery. It is considered a world cultural heritage and is infinitely appreciated not only in Russia, but also outside our state.
In this beautiful place, a measure of length has long appeared - the Solovetsky mile. It is not much different from the track verst, but it is truly unique. The Solovetsky mile is 1 kilometer and 84 meters. And here is an amazing fact - a mile is so long, because the walls of the monastery are exactly the same in length. These versts were used to measure the distance on the islands where the monastery is located.
You can talk a lot about the meaning of the word “verst”. It has firmly entered the culture of our people and, despite the fact that it has long been outdated, is inseparable from the history of Russia. This was reflected in numerous stable combinations of words, in proverbs and sayings. For example, the phrase “slurp seven miles of jelly” means a meaningless journey. This is a common expression that is still used today. Thanks to such strong entries into culture and language, the meaning of the word “verst” will not be forgotten.