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synecdochic

synecdochic

1 9.9
To use a part to mean the whole or the whole to mean a part, for example 'wheels' for 'car'
  • adjective
  • /sɪˈnɛkdəˌkɪk/
  • Literature
: sinécdoquico
  • Furthermore, the nose, as a synecdochic representation of physicality, announces the reframing of the human body that part II will undertake.

Examples

  • Such a contrast, when noticed, also entails the audience in a critical process that prevents synecdochic dismemberment.

    Academic text (2000)
  • Synecdochic processes are more fundamental here than metonymic ones, then.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The action was synecdochic, represented formally as:

    Academic text (1991)
  • He is fond of synecdochic details.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Like the literal mirror in the room, it aims at continuous reproduction, the opposite of a synecdochic collecting strategy found in Western museums or Wunderkammern.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The effect of this assault on John Smith, a synecdochic representation of these children, can be witnessed in his alienation from his tribal roots (which are unknown) and his feeling of being less than "real" (17, 19, 24, 35, 39, 40, etc.).

    Academic text (2008)
  • Later in the century, Harlem would become synecdochic for an explicitly North American black identity, but when the Schomburg family moved there in 1907, southern blacks lived on the same blocks, and often in the same households (as borders) with West Indians, Haitians, and even a few tabaqueros.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Nevertheless, although this pioneering study invites us generally to define the Comedia taxonomically, it seems that most ancient and modern definitions of the Comedia have displaced or deferred meaning by stressing synecdochic aspects.

    Academic text (1995)
  • In literature, a synecdochic approach can highlight key elements by using a part to represent the whole, such as referring to workers as 'hands'.

  • The phrase 'all hands on deck' is a synecdochic expression where 'hands' refers to sailors, illustrating how a part signifies the whole group.

Synonyms

synecdochical
vssynecdochic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Using a part to stand for the whole or the whole for a part

is limited to part for whole or whole for part, not material for product

How Figurative

synecdochic
  • Literature
1 9.9
metaphorical
5 6.6
figurative
11 6.4
literal
118 3.5

Surface Forms

synecdochic positive

Morphology

synecdochic = synecdoche (transparent) = synecdoche + ic

Standard adjectival formation from the noun 'synecdoche' using the productive suffix '-ic'; if a learner knows the base term, the relation is clear.

Etymology

The word synecdochic comes from Greek and the prefix syn- means 'together', as in synchronize, giving the idea of things 'taken as one'. That's why a synecdochic expression uses a 'part' for the 'whole' or the 'whole' for a 'part', like saying 'wheels' when you mean a whole car.