pars pro toto
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] Latin
[edit] Etymology
From pars (“‘part’”) + pro (“‘for’”) + toto the ablative singular of totus (“‘whole, entire’”).
[edit] Noun
- A type of metonymy in which an entity (person, object) is referred to by a (conspicuous) part, for the whole, e.g. a country by its capital.
- "Rome (says ...)" can just as well be a pars pro toto for Italy (in practice the Italian government) as a pars pro toto for the Roman Catholic church, notably the papacy as its universal government
[edit] Usage notes
- Examples:
- to use the Latin rota (“‘wheel’”) to refer to a car or chariot
- to use Holland to refer to the Netherlands
