From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Few \Few\ (f[=u]), a. [Compar. Fewer (f[=u]"[~e]r); superl.
Fewest.] [OE. fewe, feawe, AS. fe['a], pl. fe['a]we; akin
to OS. f[=a]h, OHG. f[=o] fao, Icel. f[=a]r, Sw. f[*a], pl.,
Dan. faa, pl., Goth. faus, L. paucus, cf. Gr. pay^ros. Cf.
Paucity.]
Not many; small, limited, or confined in number; --
indicating a small portion of units or individuals
constituting a whole; often, by ellipsis of a noun, a few
people. "Are not my days few?" --Job x. 20.
[1913 Webster]
Few know and fewer care. --Proverb.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Few is often used partitively; as, few of them.
[1913 Webster]
A few, a small number.
In few, in a few words; briefly. --Shak.
No few, not few; more than a few; many. --Cowper.
The few, the minority; -- opposed to the many or the
majority.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
few
adj 1: a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is
often preceded by `a'; a small but indefinite number; "a
few weeks ago"; "a few more wagons than usual"; "an
invalid's pleasures are few and far between"; "few roses
were still blooming"; "few women have led troops in
battle" [ant: many]
n 1: a small elite group; "it was designed for the
discriminating few"