me·ton·y·my (m -t n -m )n. pl. me·ton·y·mies A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power. [Late Latin met  nymia, from Greek metnumi : meta-, meta- + onuma, name; see n -men- in Indo-European roots.]met  o·nymic (m t-n mk), meto·nymi·cal adj.met o·nymi·cal·ly adv. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Adj. | 1. | metonymic - using the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated; "to say `he spent the evening reading Shakespeare' is metonymic because it substitutes the author himself for the author's works" figurative, nonliteral - (used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using figures of speech; "figurative language" |
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