# sample

Pronunciation: say "SAM-puhl" US /ˈsæm.pəl/, AUS /ˈsæːm.pəl/; UK say "SAHM-puhl" /ˈsɑːm.pəl/

## Noun

1. A part or piece of something taken or shown to demonstrate the quality of the whole.
   - Simple: A small part of something that shows what the whole is like.
   - _The geologist labeled each rock sample before sending it to the lab._
   - _Inspectors collected samples from the shipment to verify its condition._
2. A small quantity of food offered for tasting, usually given away for free.
   - Simple: A small bit of food given out for free so you can taste it.
   - _A server walked the aisles offering each customer a sample of warm soup._
   - _We picked up several samples at the food fair before deciding what to order._
3. A small piece of some goods, used to judge its quality, color, and so on, often given away for free.
   - Simple: A small piece of a product given for free so you can check its quality or color.
   - _The flooring showroom let us take a tile sample home overnight._
   - _Customers can request samples of each finish before placing a large order._
4. A subset of a population systematically selected for measurement or questioning, chosen so the results reflect the whole population.
   - Simple: A small group chosen from a larger group, used to learn about the whole group.
   - _The pollsters drew a representative sample of likely voters._
   - _Small samples can introduce significant bias into the findings._
7. An instance of gratuitous borrowing of an easily recognized phrase or moment from other music or film, inserted into a recording.
   - Simple: A well-known bit of music or film borrowed and used in a new recording.
   - _Critics complained the album leaned on obvious samples instead of original writing._
   - _Every track features at least one recognizable sample from a hit film._

## Verb

5. To take or test a portion of something in order to examine it.
   - Simple: To take a small part of something to test or check it.
   - _Technicians sample the air quality at the site every morning._
   - _The chef sampled the sauce before serving it to guests._
6. In music production, to take a section of an existing recording and use it again in a new track.
   - Simple: To use a piece of an existing recording in a new song.
   - _Hip-hop artists frequently sample funk and jazz records from the 1970s._
   - _She sampled a vocal hook from an obscure b-side and looped it._
8. To convert a continuous signal, such as a sound wave, into a discrete signal made of separate measured values.
   - Simple: To turn a smooth, continuous signal into a series of separate measured points.
   - _Engineers sample the analog waveform before it is stored as digital data._
   - _The converter samples the voltage at regular intervals._
9. To produce or display something that resembles a given sample.
   - Simple: To make or show something that looks like a sample.
   - _Artists can sample a seamless brick-wall texture from a single photograph of a few bricks._
   - _Each frame's sky is sampled from a lower-resolution panorama to save memory._

## Noun

10. An example or pattern presented as a model to be imitated or followed. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An example or pattern that others should copy or follow.
   - _The knight's conduct stood as a sample of true chivalry to the court._
   - _Let this deed remain a sample for all who come after._

## Origin

This word came through Middle English from Old French essample ("example"), which came from Latin exemplum. It is a doublet of "example" and "exemplum."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sample (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).