| sAMP | <abbreviation> Adenylosuccinic acid. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| samphire | <botany> A fleshy, suffrutescent, umbelliferous European plant (Crithmum maritimum). It grows among rocks and on cliffs along the seacoast, and is used for pickles. "Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!" (Scak) The species of glasswort (Salicornia herbacea); called in England marsh samphire. A seashore shrub (Borrichia arborescens) of the West Indies. Golden samphire. See Golden. Origin: F. L'herbe de Saint Pierre. See Saint, and Petrel. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| sample | 1. A specimen of a whole entity small enough to involve no threat or damage to the whole; an aliquot. 2. A selected subset of a population; a sample may be random or nonrandom (haphazard); representative or nonrepresentative. Origin: M.E. Ensample, fr. L. Exemplum, example (05 Mar 2000) |
| sample size | The number of units (persons, animals, patients, specified circumstances, etc.) in a population to be studied. The sample size should be big enough to have a high likelihood of detecting a true difference between two groups. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sample, random | A group selected randomly, solely by chance. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sampling | The policy of inferring the behaviour of a whole batch by studying a fraction of it. Origin: MF essample, from L. Exemplum, taking out (05 Mar 2000) |
| sampling studies | Studies in which a number of subjects are selected from all subjects in a defined population. Conclusions based on sample results may be attributed only to the population sampled. (12 Dec 1998) |