synecdoche ("take a share of") means to use a part to represent the whole (or vice versa), or to use a subset to represent a superset (or vice versa). Pronunci

synecdoche ("take a share of") means to use a part to represent the whole (or vice versa), or to use a subset to represent a superset (or vice versa). Pronunciation soundfile: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synecdoche http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/synecdoche metonymy ("meta-word") strictly means to use a thing associated with something to represent it, rather than a part/subset. However it is often used more loosely, to mean both. Pronunciation soundfile: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metonymy http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metonymy The distinction can be slippery when you examine examples closely, because it depends on what you take to be the concepts involved.