synecdoche (sĭnĕkˈdəkē) [key], figure of speech, a species of metaphor, in which a part of a person or thing is used to designate the whole—thus, "The house was built by 40 hands" for "The house was built by 20 people." See metonymy.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on synecdoche from Fact Monster:
- What does it mean? synecdoche - synecdoche Which of the following phrases is a synecdoche? a.) No man is an island. b.) All hands ...
- Glossary of Poetry Terms - Glossary of Poetry Terms accent The prominence or emphasis given to a syllable or word. In the word ...
- figure of speech - figure of speech figure of speech, intentional departure from straight-forward, literal use of ...
- Samantha Morton - Biography of Samantha Morton, The precog Agatha in the movie Minority Report
- Catherine Keener - Biography of Catherine Keener, Harper Lee in the movie Capote