Historical Russian units of measurement

Set of Russian customary units of measurement based on body proportions.

Historical Russian units of measurement were standardized and used in the Russian Empire but were abandoned in the Russian SFSR after 1918, and officially replaced on 21 July 1925, when the Soviet Union adopted the metric system.

History

Before the reign of Peter the Great (1682–1725), Russia had its own traditional systems of measurement. ^[1] From the 12th to 15th centuries, during the period of political fragmentation, Russian systems of measurement were diverse until the emergence of an all-Russian system of measurement. ^[2]

Although Peter is sometimes believed to have replaced Russian units with English units, in reality, he did not significantly change Russian units. ^[1] Instead, the Russian units were redefined relative to the English system. ^{[3] [1]} He also did not apply Russian units in areas where the Russians had limited experience, such as in shipyards. ^[1] The system also used Cyrillic numerals until the 18th century, when Peter the Great replaced it with the Hindu–Arabic numeral system. ^[3]

The metric system was used from 1899 and remained legally optional from 1900 until it was made compulsory in the Russian SFSR in 1918. ^[2]

Length

The basic unit was the Russian ell, called the arshin, which is known in sources from the 16th century. The lokot (elbow) was replaced around this time. ^[4] The Ivansky lokot, dating to the 11th or 12th century and used in Novgorod, was about 547mm. ^[4] The arshin was originally the length of a man's arm from the shoulder. ^[5] 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 pyads = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (355.60 cm). ^[6]

A pyad (пядь, "palm", "five"), known since the 12th century, or chyetvyert (че́тверть, "quarter") is a hand span, the distance between ends of the spread thumb and index finger. ^{[5] [7]}

Unit			Ratio	Metric value	English value	Source
Russian		Translation
Cyrillic	Transliteration
то́чка	toch'ka	point	1⁄2800	0.254 mm	1⁄100 inch	[8]
ли́ния	liniya	line	1⁄280	2.54 mm	1⁄10 inch; cf. line	[7]
дюйм (перст)	dyuym (pyerst)	inch (finger)	1⁄28	2.54 cm	1 inch	[7]
вершо́к	vyershok	tip, top	1⁄16	4.445 cm	1+3⁄4 in; cf. 19" rack unit	[7]
ладонь	ladon'	palm	3⁄28	7.62 cm	3 in; cf. palm
пядь, че́тверть	pyad', chyetvyert'	quarter	1⁄4	17.78 cm	7 in; cf. span	[7]
фут	fut	foot	3⁄7	30.48 cm	1 ft	[7]
локоть	lokot'	elbow, ell/cubit	9⁄14	45.72 cm	1+1⁄2 ft; cf. cubit/ell
шаг	shag	stride, step	1	71.12 cm	cf. step
арши́н	arshin	yard			2+1⁄3 ft	[7]
саже́нь, са́жень	sazhen'	fathom	3	2.1336 m	7 ft	[7]
верста́	vyersta	turn (of a plough)	1500	1.0668 km	3,500 ft	[7]

Alternative units:

• Swung sazhen' (маховая сажень, makhovaya sazhen', distance between tips of arms stretched sidewards) = 1.76 m; ^[7]
• 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 / 2.4892 m to be exact, since 1 kosaya sazhen' is equal to 3.5 arshins which is equal to 98 inches; ^[9]
• Double vyersta or border vyersta, (межевая верста, mezhevaya vyersta), used to measure land plots and distances between settlements = 2 vyerstas (comes from an older standard for vyersta). ^[9]

Area

• Desyatina (десяти́на, "a tenth" or "ten"), approximately one hectare;
  • Treasury/official desyatina (казённая десяти́на, kazyonnaya desyatina) = 10,925.4 m² = 117,600 sq ft = 2.7 acres = 2,400 square sazhen';
  • Proprietor's (владе́льческая десяти́на, vladel'cheskaya desyatina) = 14,567.2 m² = 156,800 sq ft = 3,200 square sazhen';
    • 3 proprietor's desyatinas = 4 official desyatinas;
• Sokha (соха, "big plow"), major unit for land tax calculation. ^[10]

Volume

Dry volume measures: os'mina, poluos'mina, chyetvyerik, poluchyetvyerik

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

Dry measures

Unit	Russian	Translation	Ratio	Cubic inches (exact)	Metric value	Imperial value	U.S. customary	Source
chast'	часть	part	1⁄30	6+2⁄3	109.33 ml	4.380 fl oz	4.208 fl oz	[11]
kruzhka	кру́жка	mug	2⁄5	80	1.312 L	2.309 pints	2.773 pints	[11]
garnyec [6]	га́рнец	pot	1	200	3.279842 L	5.772 pints	3.466 quarts	[11]
vyedro	ведро́	bucket	4	800	13.12 L	2.886 gal	3.466 gal	[11]
chyetvyerik	четвери́к	small quarter	8	1,600	26.239 L	2.886 pecks	2.978 pecks	[11]
os'mina	осьми́на	one-eighth	32	6,400	104.955 L	2.886 bushels	2.978 bushels	[11]
chyetvyert'	че́тверть	quarter	64	12,800	209.91 L	5.772 bushels	5.957 bushels	[11]

Liquid measures

Unit	Russian	Translation	Ratio	Cubic inches (exact)	Metric value	Imperial	U.S. Customary	Source
shkalik	шка́лик	measure	1⁄200	3+3⁄4	61.5 ml	2.16 fl oz	2.08 fl oz	[11]
kosushka	косу́шка	shot
charka	ча́рка	wine glass	1⁄100	7+1⁄2	123 ml	4.33 fl oz	4.16 fl oz	[11]
butylka (vodochnaya)	буты́лка(во́дочная)	bottle (vodka)	1⁄20	37+1⁄2	615 ml	1.08 pints	1.3 pints	[11]
butylka (vinnaya)	буты́лка(ви́нная)	bottle (wine)	1⁄16	46+7⁄8	768.7 ml	1.35 pints	1.625 pints	[12]
kruzhka	кру́жка	mug	1⁄10	75	1.23 L	2.16 pints	1.3 quarts	[12]
shtof	штоф	flagon
chyetvyert	че́тверть	quarter	1⁄8	93+3⁄4	1.537 L	2.70 pints	1.624 quarts	[12]
vedro [6]	ведро́	bucket	1	750	12.29941 L	2.71 gal	3.249 gal	[12]
bochka	бо́чка	barrel	40	30,000	491.98 L	108.22 gal	129.967 gal	[12]

Weight/mass

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

Ordinary system

Unit	Russian	Translation	Ratio	Metric value	Avoirdupois value	Source
dolya	до́ля	part, portion	1⁄9216 = 1⁄962	44.435 mg	0.686 gr	[13]
zolotnik	золотни́к	"golden one"	1⁄96	4.26580 g	65.831 gr (0.152 oz)	[13]
lot	лот	borrowed German "Loth"	1⁄32	12.7974 g	0.451 oz	[13]
funt [6]	фунт	pound	1	409.51718 g	14.445 oz (0.903 lb)	[13]
pood	пуд	borrowed Late Latin "pondo", from Classical "pondus"	40	16.3807 kg	36.121 lb	[13]
byerkovyec	берковец	probably from "Birka pood"	400	163.807 kg	361.206 lb (25.8 stone)	[13]

The pood was first mentioned in documents in the 12th century. ^[13] 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.

Apothecaries' system

The Imperial Russian apothecaries' weight was defined by setting the grain (Russian : гран) to be exactly seven-fifths of a dolya. 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 dolya
skrupul	скрупул	scruple	20	1.2442 g	19.201 gr	28 dolya
drakhma	драхма	dram	60	3.7326 g	57.602 gr	7⁄8zolotnik
unciya	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

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, usually ironical
• Милому дружку семь вёрст не околица: 7 versts 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: A slanted 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 – a very young child
• Сто пудов: a hundred poods – a very large amount. In modern colloquial Russian it is used in a generic meanings of "very much" and "very", as well as "most surely". ^[14] The adjective stopudovy and the adverb stopudovo derive from this expression.
• 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

• Petrograd Standard

References

1. Gouzévitch & Gouzévitch 2009, p. 357.
2. Gyllenbok 2018, p. 2009.
3. Шостьин Н. А. Очерки истории русской метрологии XI – начала XX века. М.: 1975.
4. Gyllenbok 2018, p. 2012.
5. Gyllenbok 2018, p. 2011.
6. 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.
7. Treese 2018, p. 162.
8. Treese 2018, p. 161.
9. Treese 2018, p. 163.
10. Gyllenbok 2018, p. 2015.
11. Treese 2018, p. 446.
12. Treese 2018, p. 447.
13. Treese 2018, p. 634.
14. English-Russian-English dictionary of slang, jargon and Russian names. 2012

Sources

• Gouzévitch, Irina; Gouzévitch, Dmitri (2009). "Introducing mathematics, building an empire: Russia under Peter I". In Robson, Eleanor; Stedall, Jacqueline (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of the History of Mathematics. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-921312-2.
• Gyllenbok, Jan (12 April 2018). Encyclopaedia of Historical Metrology, Weights, and Measures: Volume 3. Birkhäuser. ISBN   978-3-319-66712-6.
• Treese, Steven A. (17 May 2018). History and Measurement of the Base and Derived Units. Springer. ISBN   978-3-319-77577-7.

External links

• Russian system of measures of length (brief description) by V. A. Belobrov
• The role of Peter the Great in the development of Russian system of measures of length by V. A. Belobrov