/ sɪˈnekdəki; NAmE / noun
[ U , C ] ( technical ) a word or phrase in which a part of sth is used to represent a whole, or a whole is used to represent a part of sth. For example, in 'Australia lost by two goals', Australia is used to represent the Australian team.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : via Latin from Greek sunekdokhē , from sun- together + ekdekhesthai take up.