Totum pro parte
Totum pro parte is Latin for "the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of metonymy. The plural is tota pro partibus, "wholes for parts". In context of language, it means something is named after something of which it is only a part. A pars pro toto is the opposite of a totum pro parte.
In geography
Some place names of large areas are commonly used to refer synonymously to a smaller part of the larger area than is strictly deemed correct. Examples of this include:- "America" for the United States.
- "Asia" for East and Southeast Asia.
- "China" for the People's Republic of China since the 1970s, and prior to that, the Republic of China.
- "The Congo" for the Republic of the Congo or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- "Europe" for the European Union or for Continental Europe excluding the British Isles.
- "Germany" was often used for West Germany during the Cold War.
- "Ireland" for the Republic of Ireland excluding Northern Ireland.
- "Korea" for South Korea, excluding North Korea.
- "Macedonia" for the Republic of North Macedonia.
- "Micronesia" for the Federated States of Micronesia.
- Nanyang, Maritime Southeast Asia, Malay Archipelago, Sunda Islands for Indonesia.
- "Northumbria" for North East England or historic Northumberland and County Durham.
- ”Palestine” for the Gaza Strip.
- "Ulster" for Northern Ireland.
- "Western Hemisphere" for the Americas.
- "Yemen" was often used for North Yemen.
- "Kyiv" to refer to the Ukrainian government.
- "London" to refer to the British government.
- Moscow to refer to the Russian government or, between 30 December 1922 and 26 December 1991, to the Soviet government.
- "Washington, DC", "Washington", or "DC" are often used to refer to the United States government.
International bodies
Similar to capital cities, the name of a city can be used to refer to the headquarters of intergovernmental organizations. Notable examples include:- "New [York City|New York]" to refer to the headquarters of the United Nations, or the United Nations more generally.
- "The Hague" can refer to any of the international courts currently or formerly headquartered in The Hague. Most commonly it refers to the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court, which are often confused. Being "brought to the Hague" can refer to prosecution for war crimes more generally, often at the ICC.
Other examples
The verb "to drink" is often used in this manner. Depending on context it can stand for the generic, standard definition "to consume a liquid" or for the narrow, limited definition "to imbibe alcoholic beverages". Also, fluid can be used for liquid, as in brake fluid or bodily fluid.- "Art" specifically referring to visual art.
- "Fiddle" referring to a modern violin, just one of a broader category of instruments called "fiddles."
- "Internet" for the "World Wide Web (WWW)"; the Internet is a network of computer networks, whereas the WWW is a network of hypertext documents that one accesses via the Internet.
- "New wave music" referring to a style of synth-pop influenced by early new wave.
- "PC" to mean a computer running Microsoft Windows.
- "Processed food" specifically referring to ultra-processed food, not older techniques such as salt preservation
- "Puzzle" referring specifically to a jigsaw puzzle.
- "Ranked-choice voting" as a misnomer for "Instant-runoff voting".
- "Summer" to mean only summer vacation.
- "Technology" referring to electronic devices or specifically digital electronics.
- "The People of the State of California" to mean only the elected state legislators.