Synecdoche

Synecdoche (pronounced sin-EK-duh-kee, IPA: {{IPA|}}) is a figure of speech that presents a kind of metaphor in which:

Related Topics:
IPA - Figure of speech - Metaphor

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• A part of something is used for the whole,
• The whole is used for a part,
• The species is used for the genus,
• The genus is used for the species, or
• The stuff of which something is made is used for the thing.

Synecdoche, as well as forms of metonymy, is one of the most common ways to characterize a fictional character. Frequently, someone will be consistently described by a single body part or feature, such as the eyes, which comes to represent their person.

Related Topics:
Metonymy - Fictional character

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Also, sonnets and other forms of love poetry frequently use synecdoches to characterize the beloved in terms of individual body parts rather than a whole, coherent self. This practice is especially common in the Petrarchan sonnet, where the idealised beloved is often described part by part, from head to toe.

Related Topics:
Sonnet - Petrarchan sonnet

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Synecdoche: Examples ►