Where does “fewly” come from?
fewly (English) comes from English few, from Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *fau — few.
fewly (English): In small numbers
Ancestry of “fewly”, step by step
fewly traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English few
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | few | An indefinite, but usually small, number of; Not... |
| 2 | Middle English | fewe | few, little, not many; small, little; A few, a... |
| 3 | Old English | fēaw | few; little, few |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *fau | few |
via English ly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | ly | Abbreviation of light-year |
| 2 | Vietnamese | ly | Alternative spelling of li |