sampler

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. One who is employed to take and appraise samples, as of a food product.
2. n. A mechanical device that is used to obtain and analyze samples.
3. n. A decorative piece of cloth embroidered with various designs or mottoes in a variety of stitches, serving as an example of skill at needlework.
4. n. A representative collection or selection: a sampler of American short-story writers.
5. n. A variety; an assortment.
6. n. An electronic device used to copy and digitally manipulate a segment from an audio recording for use in a new recording.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An exemplar; a pattern.
2. n. A piece of embroidery, worsted-work, or the like. Originally, such a piece of work done to fix and retain a pattern considered of value; or, in some cases, a large piece of cloth or canvas upon which many patterns were worked side by side; more recently, a similar piece of needlework intended merely to exhibit the skill of a beginner, and often framed and hung up for show. Samplers of this sort often included Bible texts, verses, and the like.
3. n. One who samples; one who makes up and exhibits samples for the inspection of merchants, etc.
4. n. A kind of shovel divided into several parallel rectangular compartments, used in taking uniform and similar samples from a heap of pulverized ore or other material to be assayed.

Wiktionary

1. n. someone whose job is to take samples
2. n. a device that takes samples
3. n. music A digital device that merges together samples of recordings
4. n. a piece of needlework embroidered with a variety of designs
5. n. a representative selection of a larger group

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. One who makes up samples for inspection; one who examines samples, or by samples.
2. n. A pattern; a specimen; especially, a collection of needlework patterns, as letters, borders, etc., to be used as samples, or to display the skill of the worker.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. someone who samples food or drink for its quality
2. n. an assortment of various samples
3. n. a piece of embroidery demonstrating skill with various stitches
4. n. an observation station that is set up to make sample observations of something