1. noun /ˈsɑːm.pəl,ˈsæm.pəl/
a) A part of anything taken or 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.
b) A subset of a population selected for measurement, observation or questioning, to provide statistical information about the population.
"...it is possible it [the Anglo-Saxon race] might stand second to the Scandinavian countries [in average height] if a fair sample of their population were obtained." Francis Galton et al. (1883). Final Report of the Anthropometric Committee, Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, [ p. 269].
2. verb /ˈsɑːm.pəl,ˈsæm.pəl/
a) To make or show something similar to; to match.
b) To take or to test a sample or samples of; as, to sample sugar, teas, wool, cloth.
Wikipedia foundation.