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chetvert [Russian. четверть]

(Plural, chetverti.) Various Russian units, 14ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ centuries. The word means “one fourth” or “one quarter.” Also romanized as tchetvert and tchetverte.

1

A unit of dry capacity, 14ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ centuries . Its magnitude, 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ centuries, is approximately 209.91 liters (about 5.96 U.S. bushels).^1,2

Originally equal to one fourth of a kad or okov. In the 16ᵗʰ century it began to be defined officially as the volume occupied by a certain weight of rye grain. The magnitude of the chetvert underwent a profound change in the 17ᵗʰ century. Early in the century, a chetvert of rye weighed 4 poods; by the end of the century it weighed 8 poods. The chetvert was obsolescent by the mid 19ᵗʰ century, its place taken by the chetverik.

1. CIPM.
Procès-verbaux.
1897.
Page 155.

2. United Nations, 1966.

2

A unit of land area, 15ᵗʰ century – abolished 1766: = half a desiatina. The size varied with the size of the desiatina.

3

A unit of liquid capacity, 16ᵗʰ? – 19ᵗʰ centuries, = ¼ bochka, principally used for alcoholic beverages. It was legally defined in 1885 as 3.0748 liters and equaled 5 vodka butylki or 4 wine butylki.

4

A unit of mass, 17ᵗʰ century, applied only to certain commodities. For wax, 1 chetvert = 8 poods.

5

A unit of length, 16ᵗʰ – 17ᵗʰ centuries, = a quarter of a sazhen; or 17ᵗʰ? – 1917, a quarter of an arshin.

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Last revised: 16 January 2003.