2. / Columbia Encyclopedia
  3. / Literature and the Arts
  4. / Language, Linguistics, and Literary Terms
  5. / Literature: General
  6. / synecdoche

synecdoche

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 © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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