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The Greek word νόσφι “far (from), away (from), apart (from)” (adverb or preposition) is frequently found in the Iliad in contexts implying that someone is or goes away from a situation which is hostile, dangerous or simply painful. After examining the instances of this word in the Homeric poems, we show that the warlike context of the Iliad cannot account alone for the uses of νόσφι in this poem; in fact, these uses probably reflect the original meaning of the word. We then ask ourselves if νόσφι, according to recent etymologies advanced by Jean-Victor Vernhes and Rossana Stefanelli, can be linked to the PIE root *nes- “to come back safe and sound”, which appears, among others, in the Greek words νέοµαι “to come back (safe and sound)” and νόστος “(safe) return.”