SYNECDOCHE

synecdoche

(noun) substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

synecdoche (countable and uncountable, plural synecdoches)

(figure of speech) A figure of speech that uses the name of a part of something to represent the whole, or the whole to represent a part.

Hyponyms: pars pro toto, totum pro parte

Hypernym: metonymy

(rhetoric) The use of this figure of speech.

Synonym: synecdochy

Usage notes

Technically, a synecdoche is a part of the referent while a metonym is connected or associated but not necessarily a part of it.

Source: Wiktionary

Syn*ec"do*che, n. Etym: [L. synecdoche, Gr. (Rhet.)

Definition: A figure or trope by which a part of a thing is put for the whole (as, fifty sail for fifty ships), or the whole for a part (as, the smiling year for spring), the species for the genus (as, cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as, a creature for a man), the name of the material for the thing made, etc. Bain.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition