chetvert [Russian. четверть]

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

1

A unit of dry capacity, 14^th – 20^th centuries . Its magnitude, 19^th and 20^th 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 16^th 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 17^th 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 19^th century, its place taken by the chetverik.

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

2. United Nations, 1966.

2

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

3

A unit of liquid capacity, 16^th? – 19^th 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, 17^th century, applied only to certain commodities. For wax, 1 chetvert = 8 poods.

5

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

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