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Glite Dictionary
metonym

metonym

1 9.1
A word that names something tied to what you mean, like 'wheels' for car
  • noun
  • /məˈtɪnəm/
  • Literature
: metonimia
  • When we say 'the White House issued a statement', we are using 'the White House' as a metonym for the U.S. government.
  • metaphors and metonyms
  • function as metonyms

What is a metonymy or here translated metonym?

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Examples

  • Stories function as metonyms, parts that stand for wholes.

    Academic text (1998)

  • "Stories function as metonyms; parts that stand for wholes," I say.

    Academic text (1998)

  • During the Cold War, the term "freedom" became a metonym for all things American.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Is he part of Shonibare himself or a metonym for the contemporary art world that is currently so eager to embrace him?

    Academic text (2001)

  • A metonym may speak by indirection, but it does not overtly say one thing and mean another.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Since their context is always embedded within the fiesta mayor of each city, these bullfights are a metonym of the larger Fiesta Cycle.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In many ways, the lantern is a metonym of the history of the Métis.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Nevertheless, it is the corrida cycle, a metonym for the Fiesta Cycle, that gives us a hint about the origin of the larger Fiesta.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The word 'Hollywood' is often used as a metonym for the entire film industry.

  • In literature, 'the crown' is a common metonym for royal authority.

Surface Forms

metonym singular
metonyms plural

Etymology

Metonym comes from old Greek parts meta- meaning 'change' and onym meaning 'name', the same ending you see in synonym. So a metonym is a kind of 'changed name' where you call something by the name of something closely connected to it, like 'Hollywood' for the film industry.