sample

The definition of a sample is a small part of something used to represent the whole or to learn something about the whole.

(noun)

An example of a sample is a free piece of sausage at the grocery store that is designed to get you to buy a box of sausage.
An example of a sample is a small piece of a tumor that is taken to test in a lab.
An example of a sample is a small subset of society who is surveyed in order to get an idea of the opinion of society as a whole.

To sample is to take a small taste or experience a small amount of something to get a better idea of the whole.

(verb)

An example of sample is when you go to a wine tasting to taste a sip of different wines.

See sample in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

a part, piece, or item taken or shown as representative of a whole thing, group, species, etc.; specimen; pattern: samples of wallpaper
an illustration; example: a sample of his humor
a small amount of sound, music, etc. taken from one context, digitized and recorded, edited, and used again in another context
☆ Statistics a selected segment of a population studied to gain knowledge of the whole

Origin: ME, aphetic for asample < Anglo-Fr, for OFr essample: see example

transitive verb sampled, sampling

to take a sample or samples of, as for testing quality
to digitize and record (small amounts of sound, music, etc.) for editing and using again in another context

See sample in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. A portion, piece, or segment that is representative of a whole.
b. An entity that is representative of a class; a specimen. See Synonyms at example.
Statistics A set of elements drawn from and analyzed to estimate the characteristics of a population. Also called sampling.
A usually digitized audio segment taken from an original recording and inserted, often repetitively, in a new recording.

transitive verb sam·pled, sam·pling, sam·ples

To take a sample of, especially to test or examine by a sample: the restaurant critic who must sample a little of everything.
To use or incorporate (an audio segment of an original recording) in a new recording: a song that samples the bass line of a 1970s disco tune.

adjective

Serving as a representative or example: sample test questions; a sample piece of fabric.

Origin:

Origin: Partly Middle English (from Anglo-Norman)

Origin: and partly short for Middle English ensample (from Anglo-Norman)

Origin: , both from Latin exemplum; see example

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