Synecdoche

Pronunciation

• IPA: /sɪˈnÉ›kdÉ™ki/ or

Alternative forms

• syndoche, synechdoche

Origin

From Latin synecdoche, from Ancient Greek συνεκδοχή (sunekdokhe, "receiving together").

Full definition of synecdoche

Noun

1. (figure of speech) A figure of speech that uses the name of a part of something to represent the whole.
• 2002, Christopher Hitchens, "Martin Amis: Lightness at Midnight", The Atlantic, Sep 2002:"Holocaust" can become a tired syndecdoche for war crimes in general.
2. (rhetoric) The use of this figure of speech; synecdochy.

Synonyms

• (part for the whole) pars pro toto

Hypernyms

• metonymy

Derived terms

• synecdochy
• synecdochic
• synecdochical
• synecdochically

Related terms

• docetism
• meronymy