metonymy

American  

[mi-ton-uh-mee] / mɪˈtɒn ə mi /

noun

Rhetoric.

1. a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part, as “scepter” for “sovereignty,” or “the bottle” for “strong drink,” or “count heads (or noses)” for “count people.”

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metonymy British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈnɪmɪkəl, mɪˈtɒnɪmɪ /

noun

1. the substitution of a word referring to an attribute for the thing that is meant, as for example the use of the crown to refer to a monarch Compare synecdoche

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• metonymical
  adjective
• metonymically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of metonymy

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin metōnymia, from Greek metōnymía “change of name”; see origin at met-, -onym, -y ³

Compare meaning

How does metonymy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• metonymy vs. synecdoche

Explanation

Metonymy means referring to something by one of its attributes or by using a related word. If a reporter notes that "the White House released a statement," that's metonymy: "the White House" means the President or the President's administration. Metonymy comes from the Greek word metonymia, meaning “a change of name.” You've probably heard examples of metonymy, even if you didn't know the technical name for this figure of speech. Describing a monarch as "the Crown" or businesspeople as "suits" is metonymy. The expression "the pen is mightier than the sword" uses metonymy twice: "the pen" refers to writing, while "the sword" refers to war. Don't confuse metonymy with synecdoche, a related figure of speech in which a part is used to refer to the whole.

Example Sentences

Course of Composition and Rhetoric," says: "Metonymy is the exchange of names between things related.

From The Verbalist A Manual Devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and the Wrong Use of Words and to Some Other Matters of Interest to Those Who Would Speak and Write with Propriety. by Osmun, Thomas Embly

Metonymy calls one thing by the name of another which is closely related to the first.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

The occasional increase of force produced by Metonymy may be similarly accounted for.

From The Philosophy of Style by Spencer, Herbert

A Metonymy is a reversion, or the use of a noun to express that with which it is intimately connected, instead of using the term which would literally express the idea.

From A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse by Bliss, Sylvester

Metonymy is the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another to which the former bears a known and close relation.

From English: Composition and Literature by Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)

Related Words

• analogy
• image
• symbol