From Proto-West Germanic *fau.
Cognate with Old Norse fār (Danish få, Swedish få), Old High German fō, fōh; From the same Proto-Indo-European root as Latin paucus, pauper, puer (“boy”); Ancient Greek παῖς (paîs, “child”).
fēaw (superlative fēawost)
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.
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | fēaw | fēaw | fēaw |
| Accusative | fēawne | fēawe | fēaw |
| Genitive | fēawes | fēawre | fēawes |
| Dative | fēawum | fēawre | fēawum |
| Instrumental | fēawe | fēawre | fēawe |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | fēawe | fēawa, fēawe | fēaw |
| Accusative | fēawe | fēawa, fēawe | fēaw |
| Genitive | fēawra | fēawra | fēawra |
| Dative | fēawum | fēawum | fēawum |
| Instrumental | fēawum | fēawum | fēawum |