# few

Pronunciation: say "FYOO" /fjuː/

## Determiner

1. An indefinite but usually small number of, used after another determiner such as a or the.
   - Simple: Some, or a small number of, used after a word such as 'a' or 'the'.
   - _A few passengers were still waiting at the gate._
   - _The few remaining tickets sold out within minutes._
2. Not many; a small and somewhat indefinite number of, often set against a larger number that is stated or implied.
   - Simple: Only a small number of, not as many as expected.
   - _Few candidates met all the requirements for the position._
   - _The drought meant that few crops survived the long summer._

## Pronoun

3. A small number of people or things; not many.
   - Simple: A small number of people or things.
   - _Of all who applied, few were chosen for the program._
   - _Few would argue with such a sensible arrangement._

## Other meanings

- (determiner) In US forecasting, indicating a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch), used interchangeably with isolated.
- (determiner) Of cloud cover, obscuring one to two eighths (oktas) of the sky.

## Origin

From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw ("few"), going back through Proto-Germanic *fawaz to the Proto-Indo-European root *peh₂w- ("few, small"). It is related to Latin paucus ("little, few") and pauper ("poor"), the source of English poor and pauper.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/few (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).