Hypertext Webster Gateway: "sample"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Sample \Sam"ple\, n. [OE. sample, asaumple, OF. essample,
example, fr. L. exemplum. See {Example}, and cf. {Ensample},
{Sampler}.]
1. Example; pattern. [Obs.] --Spenser. ``A sample to the
youngest.'' --Shak.
Thus he concludes, and every hardy knight His sample
followed. --Fairfax.
2. A part of anything presented for inspection, or shown as
evidence of the quality of the whole; a specimen; as,
goods are often purchased by samples.
I design this but for a sample of what I hope more
fully to discuss. --Woodward.
Syn: Specimen; example. See {Specimen}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Sample \Sam"ple\, v. t.
1. To make or show something similar to; to match. --Bp.
Hall.
2. To take or to test a sample or samples of; as, to sample
sugar, teas, wools, cloths.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
sample
adj : serving as typical examples; "a sample question"
n 1: a small part of something intended as representative of the
whole
2: items selected from a population and used to test hypotheses
about the population [syn: {sample distribution}]
3: all or part of a natural object that is collected and
preserved as an example of its class
v : take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the
regional dishes" [syn: {try}, {try out}, {taste}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.