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   sample

   /ˈsɑːmp(ə)l/

   noun

   • 1. a small part or quantity intended to show what the whole is like: "investigations involved analysing samples of handwriting" Similar representativeillustrativeselectedspecimentesttrialtypifyingtypical
   • ▪ a small amount of a food or other commodity, especially one given to a prospective customer: "samples of products for evaluation"
   • ▪ a specimen taken for scientific testing or analysis: "a urine sample" Similar specimenexamplebitsnippetillustrationdemonstrationexemplificationinstanceselectionrepresentative piecemodelprototypepatterndummyswatchtest piecepilottrailertrialindicationforetastetastetastertestersmeararchaic:scantling
   • ▪ a portion drawn from a population, the study of which is intended to lead to statistical estimates of the attributes of the whole population: "they shared these characteristics with other women in the sample" Similar cross sectionvarietysamplingtest
   • 2. a sound or piece of music created by sampling: "piano samples"

   verb

   • 1. take a sample or samples of (something) for analysis: "bone marrow cells were sampled"
   • ▪ try the qualities of (food or drink) by tasting it: "it is a chance to sample probably the widest range of wines ever assembled"
   • ▪ get a representative experience of: "sample some entertaining nights out in Liverpool"
   • 2. ascertain the momentary value of (an analogue signal) many times a second so as to convert the signal to digital form: "the input signal must be sampled at twice its highest frequency"
   • ▪ record or extract (a small piece of music or sound) digitally for reuse as part of a composition or song: "riffs sampled from other musicians"

   Word Origin Middle English (as a noun): from an Anglo-Norman French variant of Old French essample ‘example’. Current senses of the verb date from the mid 18th century.

   Scrabble Points: 10

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