Synecdoche
Synecdoche
/sɪˈnɛk.də.ki/, /sɪˈnɛk.doʊ.ki/
noun, singular
plural – synecdoches
alternative spelling – syndoche, synechdoche
Derived forms
adj. synecdochic
adj. synecdochical
adv. synecdochically
Definition
Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a less encompassing term is used in place of a more encompassing term or the other way around. As in, substituting a part for the whole (and vice versa).
Synonyms
pars pro toto (Latin for part for whole), metonymy
Antonyms
None found
Word origin
The word stemmed from Greek ‘syn-’ and ‘ekdoche’ meaning ‘to receive together.’
Note
Synecdoche is a literary device commonly used by writers for brevity and to make characterizations more vivid. The term is related closely to metonymy, another literary device, with which it is often misidentified.
Synecdoche helps to develop literary symbolism, since it allows to describe ordinary objects in a different, more creative manner.
Pronunciation of the word can sometimes be mistaken for Schenectady, a city in Schenectady County, New York.
Examples of sentences containing ‘synecdoche’
- In The Hand That Signed The Paper, Thomas uses devices such as personification, synecdoche, and metonymy to contribute to the overall theme of the poem.
http://ttcp11.com/use-of-literary-devices-in-the-hand-that-signed-that-paper-by-dylan-thomas-essay - There is synecdoche in the phrases “the brightest wealth has bred” in the first stanza and “one true heart was left behind” in the fifth stanza. This poem also uses …
http://ttcp11.com/ah-are-you-digging-my-grave-by-thomas-hardy-essay - Many SAT books will list lots of Greek terms you don’t need to know, such as synecdoche and anaphora. But the Critical Reading section won’t require that you …
http://ttcp11.com/rhetorical-devices-and-literary-techniques-essay - The body parts referenced in this poem – hands, eyes, shoulders, and feet – are examples of synecdoche. Synecdoche is when a part of …
http://ttcp11.com/the-tyger-symbol-analysis-essay - … oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatement. 41. Genre: The major category into which a literary work fits.
http://ttcp11.com/language-techniques-essay - Are there other instances of figurative language that you see (metonymy, synecdoche, symbols, archetypes)? Discuss. After looking over the …
http://ttcp11.com/how-i-learned-to-sweep-by-julia-alvarez-essay - The phrase, “Napoleon in rags” in line 50 is an example of synecdoche for all people of power and money who have fallen from their place in society. “Like a …
http://ttcp11.com/like-a-rolling-stone-analysis-of-bob-dylans-song-essay - In the first stanza, the woman is described with a synecdoche through her hair as “fiery ringlets from their sleep” and “startled little waves that …
http://ttcp11.com/meeting-at-night-and-parting-at-morning-commentary-essay - A synecdoche is a form of imagery that substitutes a whole object with one aspect of that object. It may also be used to replace a specific object …
http://ttcp11.com/figurative-language-3-essay - … the prevalence of past disharmonies and he uses the inclusive pronoun “we” as a synecdoche for all Australians to unify the audience.
http://ttcp11.com/rhetorical-devices-to-represent-visionary-ideas-essay - On the other hand, “Daddy’s Hands” relies on synecdoche to get the point across. Dunn talks about her Daddy’s hand as being both “soft and …
http://ttcp11.com/songpoem-analysis-essay - Furthermore, ‘as they go bobbing along’ uses synecdoche to show that he is detaching himself from them because he cannot cope with the …
http://ttcp11.com/visiting-hour-critical-essay-essay - … which is also utilized as a synecdoche referring to death. Furthermore time is personified by referring it as “him” and compare also to Death.
http://ttcp11.com/piano-by-d-h-lawrence-poem-analysis-essay - Clarke uses synecdoche and metaphor to create the image of the dying mouse. The child’s hands have become a “nest of quivering mouse” as substitute for the …
http://ttcp11.com/gillian-clarke-the-field-mouse-essay - The synecdoche, “punish beak and claw,” further represents this and the fact that the child can only see and focus on parts of the owl, …
http://ttcp11.com/gwen-harwood-analysis-essay - Idioms, metonyms, synecdoche, and words accepted as technical terms also become dead metaphors. They add to the number of words in a …
http://ttcp11.com/translation-of-metaphor-essay - Relating this sonnet we can quote Frost’s remark, “I prefer the synecdoche in poetry, that figure of speech in which we use a part for a whole.” Order now.
http://ttcp11.com/the-silken-tent-essay - The author, Nikki Giovanni uses several poetic aspects in the poem. Throughout the poem she uses synecdoche’s to make her point, for example: “me getting fat …
http://ttcp11.com/language-of-poetry-essay - The synecdoche, “punish beak and claw,” represents the fact that the child can only see and focus on parts of the owl, symbolically denotes that …
http://ttcp11.com/barn-owl-essay - Synecdoche is a variety of metonymy in which the transfer is based on the association between a part and the whole, the singular and the plural. This type of …
http://ttcp11.com/stylistic-semasiology-essay - The adjective “bleak” is an example of a synecdoche as it is used to illustrate ‘Meila’s former emotions. However she is now said to have “little …
http://ttcp11.com/hardys-dramatic-dialogue-essay - … Epithet”- ”The plowman homeward plods his weary way,” Rhetorics like personifications and Synecdoche are in brilliant use when Gray employs the abstract …
http://ttcp11.com/elegy-written-in-a-coutry-churchyard-essay - Synecdoche is employed when Eisenbart is “summoned by arrogant hands” to show the girls power. She is symbolised by the power of her …
http://ttcp11.com/poetry-by-gwen-harwood-essay - In the second stanza, Atwood writes that the landlady is “a raw voice”, using a synecdoche, indicating beastlike sounds. The landlady is given …
http://ttcp11.com/the-landlady-poetry-commentary-essay - Heaven is used as a synecdoche for the moment of bliss and pleasure received from the action and hell is used to refer to the vicious cycle of …
http://ttcp11.com/shakespeare-sonnet-129-essay - Though the title is “Manila” is it clear that the city, being the “heart” of colonial Philippines, is a synecdoche for the entire country. And when all …
http://ttcp11.com/direction-and-purpose-essay - “White tiles and mirrors at last, he shambles” the writer is using synecdoche here to symbolise that they have reached their destination.
http://ttcp11.com/in-the-snack-bar-essay - The use of a synecdoche, that of a “three-days personage” (Stevens) meant to evoke Jesus and the Biblical resurrection from the tomb implies, …
http://ttcp11.com/the-turn-of-the-screw-essay - Also the author uses synecdoche to lighten the people`s traits of character: “…and not a single picture hat or piece of pineapple chewing gum has showed up …
http://ttcp11.com/the-roman-of-a-busy-broker-analysis-essay - Evans’s pictures as quintessential examples of synecdoche such that “the single house, the single street, strikes with the strength of overwhelming numbers.
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