Definition
Here are two senses for metonymy:
- Metonymy is, broadly defined, a trope in which one entity is used to stand for another associated entity.
- Metonymy is, more specifically, a replacive relationship that is the basis for a number of conventional metonymic expressions occurring in ordinary language.
Examples
(English)
- The pen is mightier than the sword.
- Pen and sword represent publishing and military force, respectively.
- The following examples illustrate the controller-for-controlled metonymy:
- Nixon bombed Hanoi.
- Nixon stands for the armed forces that Nixon controlled.
- A Mercedes rear-ended me.
- The word me stands for the car that the speaker was driving.
- Nixon bombed Hanoi.
Kinds
More specific concepts within metonymy.
Sources 3
- Lakoff, G. and Johnson 1980, 35–36, 38
- Mish 1991, 748
- Beekman and Callow 1974, 116