Pars pro toto
From Free net encyclopedia
Pars pro toto is Latin for synecdoche, or "(taking) a part for the whole". 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.
In geography
Some placenames are commonly used to refer synonymously to a larger or smaller area than what is strictly deemed correct. These include Holland (for the Netherlands), Micronesia (for the Federated States of Micronesia), America (for the United States), England (for the United Kingdom), or Russia (formerly used as a synonym for the Soviet Union). Sometimes these uses will differ between languages.