Word for using example to refer to the whole

Question

I was talking with a friend about the word "portmanteau", noticing that it is itself a portmanteau (making it autological), but in particular its meaning seems to have nothing to do with the concept other than being an example of it. If history had run a different course, we might be calling "smog" a blaxploitation.

I'm wondering if there is a word for words in which an example of the concept is used as the concept's name. Would "synecdoche" be appropriate? It doesn't feel quite right.

I see where you guys are coming from, because what is a word besides its meaning... so I guess I am asking something more etymological? Having a moment of zen about semantics — luqui, Jan 05 '13 at 05:24
Mondo - "The whole world can tell a snake from a dragon, but you cannot fool a Zen monk." - Principia Discordia - : ) — ipso, Jan 05 '13 at 06:03
Related: What is a catchy word that means (non-)self-descriptive, Words that define a type of word and also obey that definition, What is the word to describe a single object to represent the many?, What is the difference between a metonymy and a synecdoche?, and further questions linked from these. — RegDwigнt, Jan 05 '13 at 20:00
@RegDwighт Ahh thank you, Metonymy fits the bill just right! — luqui, Jan 05 '13 at 22:31
luqui, if you think "Metonymy fits the bill just right", you could post it as a self-answer and score up votes. — Kris, Jan 07 '13 at 14:38

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Jan 25 '13 at 21:22

2

Synecdoche can refer to using an example to refer to the whole. For example, coke is used to refer to any cola.

edited Jan 25 '13 at 21:22

RegDwigнt

97,231

answered Jan 05 '13 at 05:05

Word for using example to refer to the whole

1 Answers1