metonymy

In rhetoric and cognitive linguistics, metonymy (in Greek µet? (meta) = after/later and ???µa (onoma) = name) (pronounced /m?.t?'n?.mi/) is the use of a single characteristic to identify a more complex entity. It is also known as denominatio or pars pro toto (part for the whole).

In cognitive linguistics, metonymy is one of the basic characteristics of cognition. It is extremely common for people to take one well-understood or easy-to-perceive aspect of something and use that aspect to stand either for the thing as a whole or for some other aspect or part of it.

In rhetoric, metonymy is the substitution of one word for another with which it is associated.

When discussing figures of speech, it is often easiest to start with some clear examples. The following are clear, commonly used examples of metonymy:

"The pen is mightier than the sword"; pen is a metonym for "discourse/negotiation/persuasion" and sword is a metonym for "war."
"White House," the President of the United States and advisors.
"Whitehall," the British government.
"The press," the news media (especially newspapers).
"A dish," an entree.
"Hollywood" the American film industry.
A capital city to refer to a government.
"Wheels," a wheeled vehicle such as an automobile or motorcycle.
"Cooperstown," the (United States) Baseball Hall of Fame.