I. ˈfyü pronoun, plural in construction
Etymology: Middle English fewe, pronoun & adjective, from Old English fēawa; akin to Old High German fō little, Latin paucus little, pauper poor, Greek paid-, pais child, Sanskrit putra son
Date: before 12th century
: not many persons or things
few were present
few of his stories are true
II. adjective
Date: before 12th century
1. : consisting of or amounting to only a small number
one of our few pleasures
2. : at least some but indeterminately small in number — used with a
caught a few fish
• few·ness noun
•
- few and far between
III. noun, plural in construction
Date: before 12th century
1. : a small number of units or individuals
a few of them
2. : a special limited number
the discriminating few