synecdoche English · revision 1270

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sɪˈnɛk.də.ki/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from Middle English ''synodoches'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|la-med|synodoche]], an alteration of Late Latin ''synecdochē'',^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[der|grc|συνεκδοχή|tr=sunekdokhḗ|t=a receiving together; the putting of a whole for a part]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''sunekdékhesthai'' “to take with something else, supply a word”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from ''sun-'' “with”, ''ek'' “out” and ''dékhesthai'' “to receive”.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) The spelling was corrected after the Latin in the late 15th century.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole or the whole for a part (1388 in the OED; before 1397 as ''synodoches'' in Barnhart).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The meaning has stayed the same,^(OED 1989)^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate) though the OED notes that the word was formerly sometimes used loosely or misexplained.^(Etymonline) Typical examples are ''hands'' for workers and ''wheels'' for a car.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1388 – the figure of speech.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1483 – spelling ''synecdoche''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[figure of speech]] in which a part stands for the whole (as ''hands'' for workers), the whole for a part, the species for the genus, the genus for the species, or the material for the thing made (as ''steel'' for a sword).^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[synecdochic]]

+ * [[synecdochical]]

+ * [[synecdochically]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[docetism]]

+ * [[metonymy]]

+ * [[decent]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}