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Obsolete Russian units of measurement








Obsolete Russian units of measurement


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Obsolete Russian units of length - ru.svg


A native system of weights and measures was used in Imperial Russia and after the Russian Revolution, but it was abandoned after July 21, 1925, when the Soviet Union adopted the metric system, per the order of the Council of People's Commissars.


The Tatar system is very similar to the Russian one, but some names are different.[citation needed]


The system existed since ancient Rus', but under Peter the Great, the Russian units were redefined relative to the English system.[1] Until Peter the Great the system also used Cyrillic numerals, and only in the 18th century did Peter the Great replace it with the Hindu-Arabic numeral system.[1]




Contents





  • 1 Length


  • 2 Area


  • 3 Volume

    • 3.1 Dry measures


    • 3.2 Liquid measures



  • 4 Weight/mass

    • 4.1 Ordinary system


    • 4.2 Apothecaries' system



  • 5 Idiomatic expressions


  • 6 See also


  • 7 External links


  • 8 References




Length[edit]


The basic unit is the Russian cubit, called the arshin, which has been in use since the 16th century. It was standardized by Peter the Great in the 18th century to measure exactly twenty-eight English inches (71.12 cm). Thus, 80 vershoks = 20 piads = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (355.60 cm).[2]


A piad (пядь, “palm”, “five”) or chetvert (че́тверть, “quarter”) is a hand span, the distance between ends of the spread thumb and index finger.






































































Unit
Ratio
Metric
value

English value
Russian
Translation
Cyrillic

Transliteration

то́чка
tochka
point
12800
0.254 mm
1100 inch

ли́ния
liniya
line
1280
2.54 mm
110 inch; cf. line

дюйм
dyuim
inch
128
2.54 cm
1 inch

вершо́к
vershok
tip, top
116
4.445 cm
1 34 in; cf. 19" rack unit

пядь, че́тверть
piad, chetvert
palm, quarter
14
17.78 cm
7 in; cf. span

фут
fut

foot
37
30.48 cm
1 ft

арши́н
arshin
yard
1
71.12 cm
2 13 ft

саже́нь, са́жень
sazhen

fathom
3
2.1336 m
7 ft

верста́
versta
turn (of a plough)
1500
1.0668 km
3,500 ft

ми́ля
milya
mile
10,500
7.4676 km
24,500 ft

Alternative units:


  • Swung sazhen (маховая сажень, makhovaya sazhen’, distance between tips of arms stretched sidewards) = 1.76 m

  • Skewed, or oblique sazhen (косая сажень, kosaya sazhen’, distance between tip of a raised arm and a tip of an opposite leg slightly put away) = 2.48 m

  • Double versta or border versta, (межевая верста, mezhevaya versta), used to measure land plots and distances between settlements = 2 verstas (comes from an older standard for versta)


Area[edit]


  • Desiatina (desyatina : десяти́на, “a tenth” or “ten”), approximately one hectare
    • Treasury/official desiatina казённая десяти́на, kazionnaya desiatina) = 10,925.4 m² = 117,600 ft² = 2.7 acres = 2,400 square sazhen

    • Proprietor's (владе́льческая десяти́на, vladelcheskaya desiatina) = 14,567.2 m² = 156,800 ft² = 3,200 square sazhen
      • 3 proprietor's desiatinas = 4 official desiatinas


Volume[edit]


As in many ancient systems of measurement the Russian distinguishes between dry and liquid measurements of capacity. Note that the chetvert appears in both lists with vastly differing values.



Dry measures[edit]


































































Unit
Russian
Translation
Ratio
Cubic
inches
(exact)
Metric
value

Imperial
value

U.S.
Customary
chast

часть
part
1/30
20/3
109.33 ml
0.219 pint
0.263 pint
kruzhka

кру́жка

mug
2/5
80
1.312 L
2.309 pint
2.773 pint
garnets[2]
га́рнец
pot
1
200
3.279842 L
2.886 qt.
3.466 qt.
vedro

ведро́
bucket
4
800
13.12 L
2.886 gal.
3.466 gal.
chetverik

четвери́к
quarter
8
1600
26.239 L
2.886 peck
2.978 peck
osmina

осьми́на
one-eighth
32
6400
104.955 L
2.886 bsh.
2.978 bsh.
chetvert

че́тверть
quarter
64
12800
209.91 L
5.772 bsh.
5.957 bsh.


Liquid measures[edit]
















































































Unit
Russian
Translation
Ratio
Cubic
inches
(exact)
Metric
value
Imperial
U.S.
Customary
shkalik

шка́лик
measure
1/200

61.5 mL
2.16 fl. oz.
2.08 fl. oz.
kosushka

косу́шка

shot
charka

ча́рка
wine glass
1/100

123 mL
4.33 fl. oz.
4.16 fl. oz.
butylka (vodochnaya)

буты́лка (во́дочная)
bottle (vodka)
1/20
37½
615 mL
1.08 pint
1.3 pint
butylka (vinnaya)

буты́лка (ви́нная)
bottle (wine)
1/16
46⅞
768.7 mL
1.35 pint
1.625 pint
kruzhka

кру́жка

mug
1/10
75
1.23 L
1.08 qt.
1.3 qt.
shtof

штоф
flagon
chetvert

че́тверть
quarter
1/8
93 ¾
1.537 L
1.35 qt.
1.624 qt.
vedro[2]
ведро́
bucket
1
750
12.29941 L
2.71 gal.
3.249 gal.
bochka

бо́чка

barrel
40
30,000
491.98 L
108.22 gal.
129.967 gal.


Weight/mass[edit]


Two systems of weight were in use, an ordinary one in common use, and an apothecaries' system.



Ordinary system[edit]












































Unit
Russian
Translation
Ratio
Metric value

Avoirdupois value
dolia

до́ля
part
1/9216 = 1/96244.435 mg
0.686 gr

zolotnik

золотни́к
“golden one”
1/96
4.26580 g
65.831 gr (0.152 oz)
lot

лот

1/32
12.7974 g
0.451 oz
funt[2]
фунт

pound
1
409.51718 g
14.445 oz (0.903 lb)

pood

пуд

40
16.3807 kg
36.121 lb
berkovets

берковец

400
163.807 kg
361.206 lb (25.8 st)

The pood was first mentioned in a number of documents of the twelfth century.[citation needed] It may still be encountered in documents dealing with agricultural production (especially with reference to cereals), and has been revived in determining weights when casting bells in belfries following the rebirth of the Orthodox Churches in the former Soviet lands. It is also popular in the modern fitness industry of the 21st century, as the pood is used when referencing the weight of a kettlebell, a Russian invention, especially in CrossFit.[citation needed]



Apothecaries' system[edit]


The Imperial Russian apothecaries' weight was defined by setting the grain (Russian: гран) to be exactly seven-fifths of a dolia. The only unit name shared between the two was the funt (pound), but the one in the apothecaries' system is exactly seven-eighths of the ordinary funt.












































Unit
Russian
Translation
Ratio
Metric value

Avoirdupois value
Ordinary value
gran
гран
grain
1
62.210 mg
0.96004 gr.
1.4 dolia
scrupul
скрупул
scruple
20
1.2442 g
19.201 gr.
28 dolia
drachma
драхма
dram
60
3.7326 g
57.602 gr.
⅞ zolotnik
uncia
унция
ounce
480
29.861 g
1.0533 oz. or 460.82 gr.
7 zolotnik
funt
фунт
pound
5760
358.328 g
12.640 oz. or 5529.8 gr.
84 zolotnik


Idiomatic expressions[edit]


The obsolete units of measurement survived in Russian culture in a number of idiomatic expressions and proverbs, for example:


  • Слышно за версту: (It) can be heard a verst away - about something very loud

  • Бешеной собаке семь вёрст не крюк.: 7 versts is not a detour for a mad dog - about excessive energy or hassle

  • Милому дружку семь вёрст не околица: 7 verst is not too far for a darling friend


  • Верста коломенская: Kolomna verst - about a very tall and slim person (in this case the reference is to the verst pole road mark: (verstovoy stolb))


  • Косая сажень в плечах: Skew sazhen in the shoulders - about a strong, wide-shouldered person

  • Мерить всех на свой аршин. To gauge everybody by the same [literally: one's own] yardstick

  • Проглотить аршин. To swallow an arshin (yardstick) - about standing very straight and still

  • От горшка два вершка. Two vershok above the pot. - Very young kid

  • Сто пудов. - Hundred poods - very large amount. In modern colloquial Russian it is used in a generic meanings of "very much" and "very", as well as "most surely";[3] The adjective 'stopudovy' and the adverb 'stopudovo' derive from this expression, although it is more likely a mangled contraction of "100%" (stoprocentny).

  • Семь пядей во лбу. Seven 'pyad' across the forehead - very smart

  • Не семь пядей во лбу. Not seven 'pyad' across the forehead - not so smart

  • Мал золотник, да до́рог. A zolotnik is small, but expensive : when quality rather than quantity is important

  • Идти семимильными шагами. To walk in 7-mile steps - Any kind of very fast progress, e.g., of improvement

  • Узнать, почём фунт лиха. To learn how much a pound of likho costs - To experience something bad

  • Ни пяди земли (не уступить). Do not give up (even) a pyad of land

  • Съесть пуд соли (вместе с кем-либо). To eat a 'pood' of salt (with somebody) - To have a long common experience with somebody (with the implication "to know someone well")


See also[edit]


  • Petrograd Standard


External links[edit]



  • Belobrov V. A. Russian system of measures of length (brief description)


  • Belobrov V. A. The role of Peter the Great in the development of Russian system of measures of length


References[edit]




  1. ^ ab Шостьин Н. А. Очерки истории русской метрологии XI — начала XX века. М.: 1975.


  2. ^ abcd Cardarelli, F. (2004). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures: Their SI Equivalences and Origins (2nd ed.). Springer. pp. 120–124. ISBN 1-85233-682-X..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  3. ^ English-Russian-English dictionary of slang, jargon and Russian names. 2012











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