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 (71.12cm). Thus, 80 vershoks = 20 pyads = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (355.60cm).[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]
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;
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.
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.
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.
Семи пядей во лбу: Seven pyad across the forehead – very smart
Не семи 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")
