Totum pro parte

"Totum pro parte" is Latin for "(taking) the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of synecdoche. When used in a context of language it means that something is named after something of which it is only a part (or only a limited characteristic, in itself not necessarily representative for the whole). A pars pro toto is the opposite of a totum pro parte in which a part is used to describe the whole.

In geography

Some placenames are commonly used to refer synonymously to a larger area than is strictly deemed correct. Examples of this are America (for the United States), Britain (for England) and Micronesia (for the Federated States of Micronesia). Use of common placenames to replace official titles can cause offence. For example, Ireland is the legal name of the country known as the Republic of Ireland. Also, many residents of the Latin American countries are offended when the title America is imprecisely used to refer only to the U.S. [cite journal | first = H. L. | last = Mencken | url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283(194712)22%3A4%3C241%3ANFA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-0 | title = Names for Americans | journal = American Speech | volume = 22 | number = 4 | month = December | year = 1947 | pages = 241–256 | doi = 10.2307/486658] (but will themselves refer to US residents as "Norteamericanos", even though Mexico and Canada are also geographically in North America)." See also Use of the word American"

In language

The verb "to drink" is often used in this manner. Depending on context it can stand for the generic, standard definition "to consume a fluid" (e.g. "I'm thirsty, is there anything to drink?") or for the narrow, limited definition "to imbibe alcohol" (e.g. "He goes out to drink too often").

ee also

*Metonymy

References