1. [n]  a small part of something intended as representative of the whole
2. [n]  items selected from a population and used to test hypotheses about the population
3. [n]  all or part of a natural object that is collected and preserved as an example of its class
4. [adj]  serving as typical examples; "a sample question"
5. [v]  take a sample of; "Try these new crackers"; "Sample the regional dishes"

1. \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}.
   

2. \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.
   

The result of measuring the amplitude of an analog signal at a specified time. In digital signal processing a sample is a signed or unsigned number and the number of samples per second is called the sample rate.