'Synecdoche' definitions:
Definition of 'synecdoche'
(from WordNet)
noun
Substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa
Definition of 'Synecdoche'
From: GCIDE
- Synecdoche \Syn*ec"do*che\ (s[i^]n*[e^]k"d[-o]*k[-e]), n. [L. synecdoche, Gr. synekdochh`, fr. to receive jointly; sy`n with + ? to receive; ? out + ? to receive.] (Rhet.) 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. [1913 Webster]