νόσφι

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

• νόσφῐν (nósphin) — before a vowel or for the sake of meter
• νόσφ’ (nósph’) — apocopic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *nes- (“to return home”) + -φῐ (-phi).

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /nós.pʰi/ → /ˈnos.ɸi/ → /ˈnos.fi/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /nós.pʰi/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈnos.pʰi/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈnos.ɸi/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈnos.fi/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈnos.fi/

Adverb

νόσφῐ • (nósphi) (Epic, Lyric)

1. (of location) away, far away, at a distance, absent
2. apart, by oneself
3. (of motion or direction) away, off, to a distance, apart

Derived terms

• ἀπονόσφι (aponósphi)

Preposition

νόσφῐ • (nósphi) (governs the genitive) (Epic, Lyric)

1. (of location) far from; in the absence of, apart from, without
2. (of motion or direction) away from, to a distance from
3. apart from, without the help of
4. except (for)
   • 800 BCE – 600 BCE, Homer, Odyssey 1.19–21:

     ... θεοὶ δ’ ἐλέαιρον ἅπαντες
     νόσφι Ποσειδᾱ́ωνος· ὁ δ’ ἀσπερχὲς μενέαινεν
     ἀντιθέῳ Ὀδυσῆϊ πάρος ἣν γαῖαν ἱκέσθαι.

     ... theoì d’ eléairon hápantes
     nósphi Poseidā́ōnos; ho d’ asperkhès menéainen
     antithéōi Odusêï páros hḕn gaîan hikésthai.

     All the gods pitied [Odysseus]
     except for Poseidon. He unceasingly raged
     against godlike Odysseus until he reached his homeland.

Further reading

• “νόσφι”, in Liddell & Scott (1940) A Greek–English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “νόσφι”, in Liddell & Scott (1889) An Intermediate Greek–English Lexicon, New York: Harper & Brothers
• (no entry for the specified headword) Cunliffe, Richard J. (1924) A Lexicon of the Homeric Dialect: Expanded Edition, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, published 1963
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited.
  • apart from idem, page 33.
  • without idem, page 984.