sample

noun6

1. •
   one piece of a larger amount, removed for testing or shown to prove how good all of it is

   • He looked down into Glen Doone first, and sniffed as if he were smelling it, like a sample of goods from a wholesale house; and then he looked at the hills over yonder, and then he stared at me. — 1869
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.

   • Large samples are generally more reliable than small samples due to having less variability.
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. •
   A borrowing of easily recognised phases (or moments) from other music (or movies) in a recording.
6. •
   (no longer used) Example; pattern.

   • Thus he concludes, and euery hardie knight / His sample follow’d, and his brethren twaine, / The other Princes put on harnesse light, / As footmen vse. — 1600

verb4

1. •
   To take or to test a sample or samples of.

   • I did not really wonder, after sampling the "Settebello's" standards of comfort and service, that even on a midweek day in autumn there was not a seat to spare, despite the cost. — 1960
2. •
   To reuse a portion of (an existing sound recording) in a new piece of music.
3. •
   To reduce a continuous signal (such as a sound wave) to a discrete signal.
4. •
   To make or show something similar to a sample.

   • It means that a larger image field can be sampled from a lower resolution copy without much loss in comparative data, only the number of data points to be manipulated. — 2006

noun1

1. •
   Initialism of signs and symptoms, allergies, medications, past pertinent history, last oral intake, events leading to present illness.