Metonymy

Metonymy ("met-AH-na-mee") is the rhetorical or metaphorical substitution of a one thing for another based on their association or proximity.

Examples: a monarch is not the same thing as a crown, but we often refer to the monarch as "the crown" because the two are associated. ???


From the Guide to Literary Terms by Jack Lynch.
Please send comments to jlynch@andromeda.rutgers.edu.
Note: This guide is still in the early stages of development. Bear with me.