verst

English

Alternative forms

• versta
• verste
• werst

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian верста́ (verstá), partly through German Werst and French verste.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vəːst/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /vɚst/

Noun

verst (plural versts)

1. A Russian unit of length, equivalent to about 1.07 kilometres or about 2/3 of a mile.
   • 1849, "The Observatory at Pulkowa" The North American Review Volume 0069 Issue 144 (July 1849):

     The hill Pulkowa, twelve miles (seventeen wersts) south of Admiralty Palace in St. Petersburg, […]

   • 1910, ‘Saki’, "Reginald in Russia", Reginald in Russia:

     Her particular part of the country was a few hundred versts the other side of Tamboff, with some fifteen miles of agrarian disturbance between her and the nearest neighbour.

   • 1918, Aylmer and Louise Maude, trans. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Oxford 1998, p. 604:

     ‘Is it much further, Michael?’ she asked the clerk, to dispel the thoughts that frightened her. ‘They say it's seven versts from this village.’

   • 1988, Anthony Burgess, Any Old Iron:

     You have to tramp three or four versts to get to the exhibition of war loot, past Fabergé eggs and the Impressionists.

Translations

unit of length

• Belarusian: вярста́ f (vjarstá)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 俄里 (ngo⁴ lei⁵)

  Mandarin: 俄里 (zh) (élǐ)

• Czech: versta f
• Dutch: werst (nl) f
• Estonian: verst (et)
• Finnish: virsta (fi)
• French: verste (fr) f
• German: Werst (de) f

• Japanese: 露里 (ja) (ろり, rori), ベルスタ (berusuta), ヴェルスタ (verusuta)
• Macedonian: врста f (vrsta)
• Persian: ورست‎ (verst)
• Polish: wiorsta (pl) f
• Portuguese: versta f
• Russian: верста́ (ru) f (verstá)
• Slovene: vrsta (sl) f
• Ukrainian: верста́ f (verstá)
• Yakut: биэрэстэ (biereste)
• Yiddish: ווערסט‎ m (verst), וויאָרסט‎ m (vyorst)

Anagrams

• 'verts, trevs, verts

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrst

Adjective

verst

1. Superlative form of ver

Adjective

verst

1. Superlative form of vers

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Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vɛst]

Adverb

verst

1. worst, superlative degree of illa

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Middle English

Noun

verst

1. first

Adjective

verst

1. first

Adverb

verst

1. first

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Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• vondest

Etymology

From Old Norse verstr

Pronunciation

• (Fredrikstad dialect) IPA^(key): [ʋɛ̝ʂːʈ]

Adjective

verst

1. worst; indefinite superlative degree of vond
2. indefinite superlative degree of ille
3. indefinite superlative degree of ond

References

• “verst” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse verst

Adverb

verst

1. worst

References

• “verst” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.