synecdoche
a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part, the special for the general or the general for the special, as in ten sail for ten ships or a Croesus for a rich man.
Origin of synecdoche
1Other words from synecdoche
- syn·ec·doch·ic [sin-ik-dok-ik], /ˌsɪn ɪkˈdɒk ɪk/, syn·ec·doch·i·cal, adjective
- syn·ec·doch·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with synecdoche
- Schenectady, synecdoche
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use synecdoche in a sentence
The middle Sephiroth are synecdochically used to represent the worlds or triads of which they are the uniting potencies.
British Dictionary definitions for synecdoche
/ (sɪnˈɛkdəkɪ) /
a figure of speech in which a part is substituted for a whole or a whole for a part, as in 50 head of cattle for 50 cows, or the army for a soldier
Origin of synecdoche
1Derived forms of synecdoche
- synecdochic (ˌsɪnɛkˈdɒkɪk) or synecdochical, adjective
- synecdochically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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