Updated on March 6, 2024
The word sample holds great significance in our daily lives, often utilized in various contexts such as research, quality control, and even music. Its cultural importance is evident in the practice of providing samples of one's work, allowing others to gauge the quality and style before making a commitment.
Etymologically, the word sample originates from the Latin exemplum, meaning 'example'. This historical context highlights the word's inherent connection to representation and demonstration.
Given the global reach of the English language, understanding the translation of sample in different languages can be both enlightening and practical. For instance, in Spanish, a sample is a 'muestra', while in German, it's a 'Probe'. In French, it's a 'échantillon', and in Japanese, it's a 'サンプル' (sanpuru).
This brief exploration of the word's translation in different languages underscores the fascinating cultural and linguistic diversity that exists around the world.
Afrikaans | monster | ||
In Afrikaans, "monster" can also mean "example". | |||
Amharic | ናሙና | ||
The word “ናሙና” also means ‘form’ or ‘method’. | |||
Hausa | samfurin | ||
In Hausa, "samfurin" is derived from the Arabic word "sunfrah" meaning "model" or "example". | |||
Igbo | nlele | ||
In some Igbo dialects, the word "nlele" can also mean "small" or "fragment." | |||
Malagasy | santionany | ||
The word "santionany" in Malagasy derives from the French word "échantillon," meaning "sample." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | chitsanzo | ||
The word "chitsanzo" also means "illustration" or "example" in Nyanja. | |||
Shona | sampu | ||
In Shona, "sampu" can also refer to a small amount of something, or a prototype. | |||
Somali | muunad | ||
Muunad is also used to mean 'specimen' or 'example' in Somali, similar to its usage in English. | |||
Sesotho | sampole | ||
Sesotho word "sampole" also means "witness" in the context of a court trial. | |||
Swahili | sampuli | ||
Sampuli is also a term for a traditional Swahili dish of cooked cassava, meat, and spices. | |||
Xhosa | isampulu | ||
The word "isampulu" also means "a model, a specimen, or an example" in Xhosa. | |||
Yoruba | apẹẹrẹ | ||
The word 'apẹẹrẹ' in Yoruba can also mean 'example' or 'model'. | |||
Zulu | isampula | ||
In Zulu, "isampula" also refers to a piece of land allocated to a person or family for farming purposes. | |||
Bambara | esantiyɔn | ||
Ewe | kpɔɖeŋunu | ||
Kinyarwanda | icyitegererezo | ||
Lingala | ndakisa | ||
Luganda | okulegako | ||
Sepedi | sampole | ||
Twi (Akan) | nhwɛsoɔ | ||
Arabic | عينة | ||
The word "عينة" literally means "eye" and is used in many different contexts, including the mathematical sense of "sample" and the biological sense of "specimen". | |||
Hebrew | לִטעוֹם | ||
"לִטעוֹם" derives from the Hebrew word "טעם", meaning "taste". | |||
Pashto | نمونه | ||
The word "نمونه" could also mean "model" or "specimen". | |||
Arabic | عينة | ||
The word "عينة" literally means "eye" and is used in many different contexts, including the mathematical sense of "sample" and the biological sense of "specimen". |
Albanian | mostër | ||
In Albanian, "mostër" derives from the Latin "monstrare" (to show), implying a physical representation. | |||
Basque | lagina | ||
In Basque, "lagina" not only means "sample," but also "specimen," "model," or "example." | |||
Catalan | mostra | ||
Mostra in Catalan also means "exhibit" or "display" due to its Latin origin (monstrare, meaning "to show"). | |||
Croatian | uzorak | ||
The word 'uzorak' in Croatian not only means 'sample' but also 'pattern', 'model' and 'example'. | |||
Danish | prøve | ||
The word "prøve" in Danish can also mean test, rehearsal, sample or effort. | |||
Dutch | monster | ||
In Dutch, the word "monster" can refer to a sample or a pattern, as in the phrase "een monster nemen" (to take a sample). | |||
English | sample | ||
The word "sample" derives from the Old French "sampel" meaning "example" or "model". | |||
French | échantillon | ||
The French word "échantillon" can also mean "model" or "example". | |||
Frisian | foarbyld | ||
Frisian "foarbyld" also means "example" or "model". | |||
Galician | mostra | ||
In Portuguese, "mostra" also means "face" or "exhibition". | |||
German | stichprobe | ||
The term “Stichprobe” literally means “stab sample”, because the method originated in medical diagnostics, where samples of tissue were examined under a microscope. | |||
Icelandic | sýnishorn | ||
In Old Norse, the word 'sýnishorn' referred to a type of animal horn that was used to hold a sample of a substance, hence its modern meaning as 'sample'. | |||
Irish | sampla | ||
The word "sampla" in Irish can also mean "pattern" or "copy". | |||
Italian | campione | ||
In Latin, 'campeo' meant to take a prize, from 'campus,' meaning field of battle. | |||
Luxembourgish | prouf | ||
The word "Prouf" is derived from the Old High German word "prova", meaning "test" or "trial." | |||
Maltese | kampjun | ||
The word "kampjun" also means "pattern" or "model" in Maltese. | |||
Norwegian | prøve | ||
The Norwegian word "prøve" originates from the Old Norse word "prófa", meaning "experiment" or "trial". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | amostra | ||
"Amostra" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) is ultimately derived from the Latin "monstrare," meaning "to display" or "to show." | |||
Scots Gaelic | sampall | ||
The word "sampall" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a person who gives a sample or a taster. | |||
Spanish | muestra | ||
"Muestra" can also mean "proof" or "display" in Spanish. | |||
Swedish | prov | ||
The word 'prov' is derived from the Old Norse word 'proof', which means 'test' or 'trial'. | |||
Welsh | sampl | ||
In Welsh, "sampl" can also refer to a patch or a piece, as in "sampl o dir" (a piece of land). |
Belarusian | ўзор | ||
The word «ўзор» has another meaning - an ornament. | |||
Bosnian | uzorak | ||
"Uzorak" also means "pattern" in Bosnian. | |||
Bulgarian | проба | ||
The word "проба" in Bulgarian shares the same origin with the Russian word "проба" and the English word "probe" and its original meaning in all three languages was "test" or "attempt". | |||
Czech | vzorek | ||
The root of the word is " vzor", that means "pattern/model | |||
Estonian | proov | ||
The word "proov" in Estonian can also mean "test" or "trial". | |||
Finnish | näyte | ||
The word "näyte" also means "sign" or "proof", which is related to its original meaning of "a small piece of cloth that is cut off to show the quality of the whole." | |||
Hungarian | minta | ||
Hungarian "minta" means "sample" but is derived from the Turkish word "mintan," or "coat." | |||
Latvian | paraugs | ||
'Paraugs' can also mean a pattern used as an example to make other things by, a specimen, or a prototype. | |||
Lithuanian | pavyzdys | ||
The word "pavyzdys" is related to the word "vaizdas", which means "picture" or "image". This suggests that the original meaning of "pavyzdys" may have been "something that is representative of something else". | |||
Macedonian | пример | ||
In Old Church Slavonic, "пример" could also mean law, rule or regulation. | |||
Polish | próba | ||
The word "próba" comes from the Latin word "probare", meaning "to test" or "to examine". | |||
Romanian | probă | ||
The word "probă" in Romanian comes from the Latin word "proba," meaning "test, proof, or experiment." | |||
Russian | образец | ||
"Образец" also means "a role model" or "an ideal". | |||
Serbian | узорак | ||
The word "узорак" also has the meaning of "pattern". | |||
Slovak | vzorka | ||
The Slovak word "vzorka" may originate from the Proto-Slavic word *vъzorъ, meaning "model" or "pattern". | |||
Slovenian | vzorec | ||
"Vzorec" can be used to describe both a pattern or model, or the sampling of something. | |||
Ukrainian | зразок | ||
The word "зразок" has Slavic roots and originally meant "a piece of a whole" or "a part of something larger." |
Bengali | নমুনা | ||
নমুনা (sample) can also mean "example" or "pattern" in Bengali. | |||
Gujarati | નમૂના | ||
The Gujarati word "નમૂના" (sample) comes from the Sanskrit word "नमः" (humble salutation), and is also used in the sense of a "model" or "example". | |||
Hindi | नमूना | ||
"नमूना" in Hindi also refers to a model or draft of something larger. | |||
Kannada | ಮಾದರಿ | ||
The Kannada word "ಮಾದರಿ" (sample) also means "example" or "model". | |||
Malayalam | സാമ്പിൾ | ||
Marathi | नमुना | ||
The Marathi word "नमुना" originates from the Gujarati word "نمونو" (numūnu), meaning a "sample", which in turn derives from the Arabic word "نموذج" (numūdhaj), meaning a "model" or "prototype". | |||
Nepali | नमूना | ||
The word "नमूना" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नमुना" meaning "a model or pattern". | |||
Punjabi | ਨਮੂਨਾ | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නියැදිය | ||
The word නියැදිය is derived from Sanskrit and literally means "a small part or amount". | |||
Tamil | மாதிரி | ||
Telugu | నమూనా | ||
The word 'నమూనా' also means a 'model, specimen, or pattern' | |||
Urdu | نمونہ | ||
"نمونہ" is the Persian word for "pattern", but in Urdu it can also be used to refer to an example of something, or a representative group or item. |
Chinese (Simplified) | 样品 | ||
In ancient Chinese, “样品” (pinyin: yàngpǐn) meant a | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 樣品 | ||
樣品 (yàngpǐn) derives from the word "樣子" (yàngzi), meaning "appearance" or "model." | |||
Japanese | サンプル | ||
The word "サンプル" (sample) in Japanese can also refer to a small portion of food or drink offered for tasting. | |||
Korean | 견본 | ||
The word "견본" in Korean is derived from the Chinese characters "見本" which mean "to see" and "model". | |||
Mongolian | дээж | ||
The word “dээж” also refers to the first milk a mother gives after birth and to the foam at the top of fermenting milk. | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | နမူနာ | ||
The word "နမူနာ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नमूना" (namūnā), which means "specimen" or "pattern". |
Indonesian | sampel | ||
In Indonesian, "sampel" can also refer to a group of dancers, singers, or comedians who perform together. | |||
Javanese | conto | ||
In Javanese, "conto" can also refer to a model or prototype. | |||
Khmer | គំរូ | ||
The word "គំរូ" can also be used to refer to a model or an example. | |||
Lao | ຕົວຢ່າງ | ||
Malay | contoh | ||
The word "contoh" can also mean "example" or "model" in Indonesian. | |||
Thai | ตัวอย่าง | ||
The term ตัวอย่าง (samplo) is derived from the Portuguese word "amostra", meaning "sample" or "specimen". | |||
Vietnamese | mẫu vật | ||
Mẫu vật can also mean "specimen" and "example" in Vietnamese. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sample | ||
Azerbaijani | nümunə | ||
"Nümunə" ayrıca Azerice'de "örnek, model" anlamlarına gelir ve aynı anlama gelen Arapça "نموذج" (namuḏaj) sözcüğünden alıntıdır. | |||
Kazakh | үлгі | ||
The Kazakh word "үлгі" (sample) is cognate with the Turkish "örgü" (pattern) and the Mongolian "үлгэр" (example), all derived from the Proto-Altaic root *örge- "to weave, to make." | |||
Kyrgyz | үлгү | ||
The word "үлгү" is borrowed from the Mongolian word "ülge", which means "pattern" or "model." | |||
Tajik | намуна | ||
The word "намуна" can have additional meanings such as "pattern" or "model". | |||
Turkmen | nusga | ||
Uzbek | namuna | ||
This word may have originated from the Arabic word "namūd" meaning "example". | |||
Uyghur | sample | ||
Hawaiian | hāpana | ||
The Hawaiian word "hāpana" derives from the Proto-Polynesian root "*fana" meaning "to taste" or "to try." | |||
Maori | tauira | ||
The word "tauira" in Māori can also refer to a "specimen" or "copy". | |||
Samoan | faʻataʻitaʻiga | ||
Faʻataʻitaʻiga is also used literally, as in a model, a pattern, or a design. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | sample | ||
The Tagalog word "sampol" (sample) originally meant "example" or "model". |
Aymara | uñacht'a | ||
Guarani | hechauka | ||
Esperanto | specimeno | ||
"Specimeno" is a neologism based on the Latin word "specimen" (specimen, sample). | |||
Latin | sample | ||
The Latin word 'sample' can also refer to a musical composition used to give an idea of a larger work. |
Greek | δείγμα | ||
The term δείγμα (deigma), besides meaning “sample”, also means an instance and serves as the root for δειγματισμός (deigmatism), which represents an act of pointing to a specific place or person or of demonstrating something. | |||
Hmong | coj mus kuaj | ||
The word "coj mus kuaj" literally means "to try" or "to taste" in Hmong. | |||
Kurdish | mînak | ||
The word "mînak" is derived from the Persian word "mīzān" (balance, scale), and it also means "example" or "model" in Kurdish. | |||
Turkish | örneklem | ||
"Örneklem" sözcüğü, Türkçeye Farsçadan geçmiştir ve "örnek" sözcüğünden türetilmiştir. | |||
Xhosa | isampulu | ||
The word "isampulu" also means "a model, a specimen, or an example" in Xhosa. | |||
Yiddish | מוסטער | ||
The Yiddish word "מוסטער" is derived from the German word "muster" and the Old French word "mostre," both meaning "pattern" or "example." | |||
Zulu | isampula | ||
In Zulu, "isampula" also refers to a piece of land allocated to a person or family for farming purposes. | |||
Assamese | নমুনা | ||
Aymara | uñacht'a | ||
Bhojpuri | नमूना | ||
Dhivehi | ސާމްޕަލް | ||
Dogri | नमूना | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | sample | ||
Guarani | hechauka | ||
Ilocano | pagwadan | ||
Krio | ɛgzampul | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | نموونە | ||
Maithili | नमूना | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯁꯦꯝꯄꯜ ꯂꯧꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | enchhinna | ||
Oromo | samuuda | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ନମୁନା | ||
Quechua | qatina | ||
Sanskrit | प्रतिदर्श | ||
Tatar | үрнәк | ||
Tigrinya | መርኣዪ | ||
Tsonga | sampulu | ||