(Plural, chetverti.) Various Russian units, 14th – 20th centuries. The word means “one fourth” or “one quarter.” Also romanized as tchetvert and tchetverte.
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.
A unit of land area, 15th century – abolished 1766: = half a desiatina. The size varied with the size of the desiatina.
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.
A unit of mass, 17th century, applied only to certain commodities. For wax, 1 chetvert = 8 poods.
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.