sample

Meaning

Noun

1. A part or snippet of something taken or presented for inspection, or shown as evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen.
2. A subset or portion of a population that is systematically selected for measurement, observation, or questioning, with the objective of generating statistical information that accurately reflects the characteristics of the entire population.
3. A small quantity of food for tasting, typically given away for free.
4. A small piece of some goods, for determining quality, colour, etc., typically given away for free.
5. Gratuitous borrowing of easily recognised phases (or moments) from other music (or movies) in a recording.
6. (obsolete) Example; pattern.

Verb

1. (transitive) To take or to test a sample or samples of.
2. (transitive) To reduce a continuous signal (such as a sound wave) to a discrete signal.
3. (transitive) To reuse a portion of (an existing sound recording) in a new piece of music.
4. (transitive) To make or show something similar to a sample.

Synonyms

specimen

example

model

pattern

taste

try

instance

test

illustration

sampling

exemplar

try out

savor

savour

case

sup

assay

test piece

prototype

prove

attempt

template

representative sample

selection

sample distribution

sip

representative

drink in

swatch

paradigm

look

manner

precedent

pic

piece

pilot

🧑‍✈️

preparation

preview

probation

proof

standard

sifting

specimen copy

spot check

style

take

teaser

test drive

trial

try on

Translations

échantillon

muestra

campione

Probe

Muster

exemple

amostra

örnek

probieren

voorbeeld

δείγμα

Stichprobe

exemplo

monster

mostra

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈsɑːm.pəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: saumple

In summary

Inherited from Middle English saumple, sample, from Old French essample (“example”), from Latin exemplum. Doublet of example and exemplum.