fju: adj. & n. --adj.
not many (few doctors
smoke; visitors are few). --n. (as pl.) 1 (prec. by a)
some but not many (a few words
should be added; a few of
his friends
were there). 2 a
small number, not many (many are called but few are chosen). 3 (prec. by the) a
the minority. b the
elect. 4 (the Few) colloq. the
RAF pilots
who took part in the
Battle of Britain. øevery few
once in
every small
group of (every few days). few
and far between scarce. a
good few colloq. a
fairly large number.
have a few colloq.
take several alcoholic drinks. no fewer
than as many as (a specified number). not a few a
considerable number. some few some but not at
all many. øøfewness n. [OE feawe, feawa f. Gmc]