metonymy [mɪˈtɒnəmi] n.
1.) A trope in which one word is put for another that suggests it; as, we say, a man keeps a good table instead of good provisions; we read Virgil, that is, his poems; a man has a warm heart, that is, warm affections; a city dweller has no wheels, that is, no automobile (GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English).
Etymology: Late Latin metonymia, from Greek metonumia : meta-, meta- + onuma, name.
"Doubtful it stood,
As two spent swimmers that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villainies of nature
Do swarm upon himfrom the Western Isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore. But all's too weak;
For brave Macbethwell he deserves that name
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like Valor's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave,
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements" (The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare, ~1605).
I've decided to start a regular feature: I'll be defining rhetorical terms every Sunday, until we know them all. The main difference is that I'll be providing examples of the rhetorical device in action, instead of uses of the term. Hope you guys enjoy!
47 comments:
wow, i really learnt a lot there ;) thanks for the post
Love this one!
xoxox,
CC
metonymy is a word that Ive not heard before. Good word though.
NICE WORD!!
I am way too tired right now to even try to put this in a sentence. lol.
I like this idea. It shows situations so we can use the words descriptively.
I have heard of this man called Virgil.
ah, I learned this word during my studies of English literature at College :)
trippy painting.
English is full of metonymyes!
That's pretty cool, I wasn't even aware that that concept had a name.
I still dont understand what this words means lol
I'm a bit confused, I have to admit- is it sort of like an idiom or different?
ohh, the bible uses this a lot, and Shakespeare.
@Meri no, this is a figure of speech like a metaphor or a simile. an idiom is specific to one language, whereas other languages use metonymy too.
@Joel C Anatoli another example is when people say they're paying with plastic. since credit cards are associated with plastic (because they're made from plastic), the meaning is conveyed indirectly.
Thanks for your interest; I hope that helps!
Ptolemy's Metonymy.....sounds like a great restaurant!
cool word
sounds good to me! :D
Me Tony My
Okay Tony have it!! I was an English major and I never heard this word before. You learn something every day!
I gave you a Sunshine Award, pretty much your advancing of my vocabulary brightens my day.
http://astropirate.blogspot.com/2011/05/sunshine-award.html
I've learned something new today -- thanks! And thanks for popping by my blogaroony too.
An interesting play on words. :)
One I have to use this today :D
weird word!
the Sunday feature sounds like a great idea!
So complicated for me! Am I the most stupid one? oh well!
I like the meaning behind this.
Will "Snuggie" make the cut?
Nice word, you should also check out my blog, as I have nominated you for the sunshine award :D
nice choice of picture, i love blake's art almost as much as his poetry :)
what a mouthful!
the post is too long :( i got distracted by the picture
Love your blogging work! Keep up the good work you make really good posts!
Cool word! i look forward to using it in conversation ;D
Adore these William Blake drawings!
Your blog is fantastic for learning more and more everyday haha! Yes1 I know the team are back! :D
hugs!
www.sickbytrend.com
great word! not sure if id use it though haha
nice word...and something i'm going to start using more
Very nice and a beautiful example. A very eloquent one.
Another great word from the man of words.
havent heard this one before, thanks
That word is so much less complicated than it looks - thanks for sharing!
great post :)
I need to point my wife toward your blog!
I love how your blog does nothing but make me smarter. That's so awesome. Not many (okay, very few) other blogs do that! :)
Amazing some words you'll find.
so glad I learned this definition...since I use metonymy(s?) all the time.
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