'few-flowered' originates from Modern English, formed by combining the adjective 'few' and the adjectival/past-participle form 'flowered' (from 'flower'). 'few' ultimately goes back to Old English 'feaw' meaning 'not many', while 'flower' comes from Old French 'flor' (from Latin 'flos, floris').

'few' changed from Old English 'feaw' into Middle and Modern English 'few'; 'flower' entered English via Old French 'flor' (from Latin 'flos, floris'), and the compound 'few-flowered' is a relatively recent English formation used in botanical contexts to describe plants with a small number of flowers.

Initially the components retained their separate meanings ('few' = not many; 'flowered' = having flowers). Over time the compound came to be used specifically in botanical descriptions to mean 'having few flowers', a fairly literal extension of the parts' meanings.