Synecdoche from Greek συνεκδοχη, "simultaneous understanding" (pronounced /sɪˈnɛkdəkɪ/) is a figure of speech in which:

• a term denoting a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing, or
• a term denoting a thing (a "whole") is used to refer to part of it, or
• a term denoting a specific class of thing is used to refer to a larger, more general class, or
• a term denoting a general class of thing is used to refer to a smaller, more specific class, or
• a term denoting a material is used to refer to an object composed of that material. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c A figure of speech, sometimes

Synecdoche is closely related to metonymy (the figure of speech in which a term denoting one thing is used to refer to a related thing); indeed, synecdoche is often considered a subclass of metonymy. In Rhetoric, metonymy (mɨˈtɒnɨmi is the use of a word for a concept or object associated with the concept/object originally denoted by the word It is more distantly related to other figures of speech, such as metaphor. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects

The use of synecdoche is a common way to emphasize an important aspect of a fictional character; for example, a character might be consistently described by a single body part, such as the eyes, which come to represent the character. This is often used when the main character does not know or care about the names of the characters that he/she is referring to.

Also, sonnets and other forms of love poetry frequently use synecdoches to characterize the beloved in terms of individual body parts rather than a whole, coherent self. The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in Lyric poetry from Europe. This practice is especially common in the Petrarchan sonnet, where the idealised beloved is often described part by part, from head to toe. The sonnet is one of the poetic forms that can be found in Lyric poetry from Europe.

Examples

• Examples where a part of something is used to refer to the whole:
  • "The ship was lost with all hands [sailors]. "
  • "His parents bought him a new set of wheels [car]. "
  • Similarly, "mouths to feed" for hungry people, "white hair" for an elderly person, "the press" for news media.
  • In nations, "Britain" is used to mean the entire United Kingdom, as Holland is for Netherlands. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. A maritime and economic power in the 17th century Holland today consists of the Dutch provinces of The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands

• Examples where the whole of something is used to refer to a part of it:
  • "Use your head [brain] to figure it out. "
  • "Michigan [the government of Michigan] just passed a law addressing this problem. "
  • Similarly, "body" for the trunk of the body, the "smiling year" for spring

• Examples where a species (specific kind) is used to refer to its genus (more general kind):
  • "The cutthroats [assassins] there will as soon shoot a man as look at him. The human body is the entire physical and mental structure of a Human Organism. Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies (including that of the human from which extend the neck and limbs "
  • "Could you pass me a Kleenex [facial tissue]?"
  • Similarly, "coke" for pop/soda, "castle" for home, "meat" or "bread" for food, "Judas" for traitor

• Examples where the material an object is made of is used to refer to the object itself:
  • "Those are some nice threads [clothes]. "
  • Similarly, "willow" for cricket bat, "copper" for penny, "roof" for a house, "boards" for stage, "ivories" for piano keys, "plastic" for credit card, "the hardwood" for a gym floor, "pigskin" for football

See also

• Conceptual metaphor
• Figure of speech
• Metonymy
• Pars pro toto
• Totum pro parte
• Hendiadys

References

External links

• Synecdoche from Silva Rhetoricæ: The Forest of Rhetoric