pauca

Pauca is a Latin word with meanings related to quantity, primarily translating as "few" or "a few." It functions in Latin as both an adjective and, in some contexts, a pronoun. As an adjective, pauca is used to indicate a small number of nouns and agrees with the noun it modifies in form according to Latin grammar. The neuter plural form pauca is commonly encountered, especially in phrases such as pauca verba, meaning “a few words.” When used pronominally, pauca can stand for a small number of things without repeating a noun, analogous to how English uses “a few.”

In classical Latin, pauca appears in a range of stylistic expressions to convey brevity or scarcity. One well-known usage is in the formula in pauca verba meaning “in a few words.” The phrase in paucis verbis is also attested in Latin literature, employing a variant that uses the ablative plural to convey brevity or conciseness.

Etymology and cognates: pauca derives from the same Latin root as other words in the pau- family that denote small quantity. The concept is closely related to the noun paucitas, meaning scarcity, and the English word paucity ultimately traces back to this Latin root.

See also: paucity. The Latin family of forms around pauca appears in scholarly discussions of quantity terms in Latin grammar and is sometimes cited in studies of Latin stylistics and brevity in prose.

Overall, pauca remains a standard example in Latin for expressing small quantity and for illustrating how adjectives can function as determiners or pronouns in classical texts.