ar·chine also ar·shin 
(är-shēn)
(är-shēn)n.
A unit of length formerly used in Russia and Turkey, equal to about 71 centimeters (28 inches).
[Russian arshin, from Tatar arshyn, an ell; akin to Turkish arşın, from Middle Persian ārešn, cubit, from Old Persian arašni-; see el- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]