1. A figure of speech in which one term is used to represent the whole group of something: Examples of synecdoches include "hand" for "sailor"; the whole for a part as the "law" for "police officer" or "all hands on deck" is an example in which "hands" is used to mean "sailors" and "deck" means "ship".

A specific term for some form of generality; as, "cutthroat" for an "assassin" or "head" for "cattle"; or a term for the specific elements, as "thief" for "pickpocket"; or the material for something that is made from it; such as, "steel" referring to a "sword".
2. Etymology: from "part for whole" or "vice versa," from Middle Latin synodoche, from Late Latin synecdoche, which came from Greek synekdokhe; literally, "a receiving together" or "jointly" from synekdekhesthai, "supply a thought or word, take with something else"; from syn- "with" + ek, "out" + dekhesthai, "to receive".

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