Exact historical dictionary sense
Example in Webster's 1913 dictionary
The 1913 record labels example as noun. Its source-bounded etymology and selected historical definition appear below.
WEBSTER 1913noun
Example
[A later form for ensample, fr. L. exemplum, orig., what is taken out of a larger quantity, as a sample, from eximere to take out. See Exempt, and cf. Ensample, Sample.]
Cross-verified historical senseHeadwordexample
Part of speechnoun
Historical etymology[A later form for ensample, fr. L. exemplum, orig., what is taken out of a larger quantity, as a sample, from eximere to take out. See Exempt, and cf. Ensample, Sample.]
Selected historical definitionOne or a portion taken to show the character or quality of the whole; a sample; a specimen.
Signed record IDwebster1913-example-noun-f946fc7a3969
Source locatorCIDE.E, paragraph 7255; Gutenberg eBook 662
Quick answer
In Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), "example" is labeled noun. Its etymology is recorded as: "[A later form for ensample, fr. L. exemplum, orig., what is taken out of a larger quantity, as a sample, from eximere to take out. See Exempt, and cf. Ensample, Sample.]" The selected historical definition says: "One or a portion taken to show the character or quality of the whole; a sample; a specimen."