A few

A few
Few Few (f[=u]), a. [Compar. {Fewer} (f[=u]"[~e]r); superl. {Fewest}.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe['a], pl. fe['a]we; akin to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf. {Paucity}.] Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; -- indicating a small portion of units or individuals constituting a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few people. ``Are not my days few?'' --Job x. 20. [1913 Webster]

Few know and fewer care. --Proverb. [1913 Webster]

Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them. [1913 Webster]

{A few}, a small number.

{In few}, in a few words; briefly. --Shak.

{No few}, not few; more than a few; many. --Cowper.

{The few}, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the majority. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • few — W1S1 [fju:] determiner, pron, adj comparative fewer superlative fewest [: Old English; Origin: feawa] 1.) [no comparative] a small number of things or people a few ▪ I have to buy a few things at the supermarket. ▪ Pam called to say she s going… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • few — [ fju ] (comparative fewer; superlative fewest) function word, quantifier *** Few can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (followed by a plural noun): Few people live there now. There were a few animals in the barn. as a pronoun: Many… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Few — (f[=u]), a. [Compar. {Fewer} (f[=u] [ e]r); superl. {Fewest}.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe[ a], pl. fe[ a]we; akin to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl., Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf. {Paucity}.]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • few — ► DETERMINER , PRONOUN , & ADJECTIVE 1) (a few) a small number of. 2) not many. ► NOUN (the few) ▪ a select minority. ● few and far between Cf. ↑few and far between …   English terms dictionary

  • few and far between — Very rare • • • Main Entry: ↑few * * * few and far between phrase not happening very often or not existing in many places Opportunities for promotion are few and far between. Thesaurus: rarely and not oftensynonym …   Useful english dictionary

  • few and far between — {adj. phr.} Not many; few and scattered; not often met or found; rare. Used in the predicate. * /People who will work as hard as Thomas A. Edison are few and far between./ * /Places where you can get water are few and far between in the desert./… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • few and far between — {adj. phr.} Not many; few and scattered; not often met or found; rare. Used in the predicate. * /People who will work as hard as Thomas A. Edison are few and far between./ * /Places where you can get water are few and far between in the desert./… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • few — (adj.) O.E. feawe (plural; contracted to fea) few, seldom, even a little, from P.Gmc. *faw , from PIE root *pau few, little (Cf. L. paucus few, little, paullus little, parvus little, small, pauper poor; Gk. pauros …   Etymology dictionary

  • few — [fyo͞o] adj. [ME fewe < OE feawe, feawa, pl., akin to OFris fē, Goth fawai, pl. < IE base * pōu , small, little > L paucus, Gr pauros, little] not many; a small number of [few seats were left, a few people came] pron. not many; a small… …   English World dictionary

  • Few Lights Till Night — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Few Lights Till Night» Sencillo de Dragon Ash Lado B « Stir Sleep Tight » Publicación 27 de septiembre de 2006 …   Wikipedia Español

  • FEW — bezeichnet einen 1/8 bis 2/8 bewölkten Himmel, siehe Bewölkung#Einteilung Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch Freiburgische Elektrizitätswerke, siehe Groupe E Frostigs Entwicklungstest der visuellen Wahrnehmung, siehe Marianne Frostig das… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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