Where does “few” come from?

Few comes from Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw, from Proto-Germanic fawaz, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂w-, a root of uncertain meaning.

few (English): An indefinite, but usually small, number of; Not...

Definitions

  1. An indefinite, but usually small, number of; Not...

Ancestry of “few”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishfewefew, little, not many; small, little; A few, a...
2Old Englishfēawfew; little, few
3Proto-West Germanic*faufew

Words derived from “few”

Every word from Proto-West Germanic *fau →Every word from Old English fēaw →Every word from Middle English fewe →