feaw

• fēawa, fēawe, fēa

From Proto-West Germanic *fau, in turn from Proto-Germanic *fawaz, from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-.

Cognate with Old Norse fār (Danish få, Swedish få), Old High German fō, fōh; Further cognates via the Proto-Indo-European root include Latin paucus, pauper, puer (“boy”); Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs, “child”).

• IPA^(key): /fæ͜ɑːw/

fēaw (superlative fēawost)

1. few
   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Æfter ðisum ġebede, hē ābād on ðām leġere āne fēawa dagas, mid fefore ġewǣht, þurh wacolon ġebedum, on flōre liċġende, bestrēowod mid axum, on stīðre hǣran, upāhafenum ēagum and handum tō heofenum, and ne ġeswāc his ġebeda ōðþæt hē s̄awlode.

     After this prayer, he remained in sickness for a few days, weakened by fever, in watchful prayer, lying on the floor, bestrewn with ashes, on stiff sackcloth, with eyes and hands turned up toward heaven, and he did not stop his prayers until he passed away.

This word was often used in the weak declension, often indeclinably as feāwa, even when the strong declension would be expected (similar to other quantifiers such as āna or mā, the latter of which was never declined). When used undeclined, it typically took the genitive of the thing it was quantifying.

• fēasċeaft

• Middle English: fewe, feawe, feu
  • English: few
  • Scots: feu, fyow
  • Yola: vew