Pars pro toto

Pars pro toto is Latin for "(taking) a part for the whole"; it is a kind of synecdoche. When used in a context of language it means that something is named after a part of it (or after a limited characteristic, in itself not necessarily representative for the whole). E.g. "glasses" is a "pars pro toto" name for something that consists of more than just two pieces of glass. The opposite of a pars pro toto is a totum pro parte, in which the whole is used to describe a part.

In geography

Some placenames are commonly used to refer synonymously to a smaller area than what is strictly deemed correct. These include Holland (for the Netherlands, see Netherlands (terminology)), England (for the United Kingdom and Great Britain, see British Isles (terminology)), or Russia (formerly used as a synonym for the Soviet Union) Persia (for Iran, see Iran naming dispute). Sometimes these uses will differ between languages.

Use of common placenames to replace official titles can cause offence. For example, residents of the Netherlands may feel excluded when the title Holland is used to describe their country. Using the title England instead of Great Britain (or Britain) is not well tolerated by the people of Scotland and Wales.

See also

*Metonymy