one or a portion taken to show the character or quality of the whole; a sample; a specimen.-that which is to be followed or imitated as a model; a pattern or copy.-that which resembles or corresponds with something else; a precedent; a model.-that which is to be avoided; one selected for punishment and to serve as a warning; a warning.-an instance serving for illustration of a rule or precept, especially a problem to be solved, or a case to be determined, as an exercise in the application of the rules of any study or branch of science; as, in trigonometry and   grammar, the principles and rules are illustrated by examples.-to set an example for; to give a precedent for; to exemplify; to give an instance of; to instance.