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Pars pro toto is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for "(taking) a part for the whole" where a portion of an object or concept represents the entire object or context. See also synecdoche
Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which:* a term denoting a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing , or* a term denoting a thing is used to refer to part of it , or...
.

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. For example, "glasses" is a pars pro toto name for something that consists of more than just two pieces of glass.

Pars pro toto is a common device in iconography
Iconography

Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Ancient Greek e???? and ??afe?? ....
, where a particular icon can stand for a complete set of characteristics.

The opposite of a pars pro toto is a totum pro parte
Totum pro parte

Totum pro parte is Latin for " the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of synecdoche. When used in a context of language it means that something is named after something of which it is only a part ....
, in which the whole is used to describe a part.

ain place names are sometimes used to denote an area greater than that warranted by their strict meaning.






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Pars pro toto is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 for "(taking) a part for the whole" where a portion of an object or concept represents the entire object or context. See also synecdoche
Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which:* a term denoting a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing , or* a term denoting a thing is used to refer to part of it , or...
.

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. For example, "glasses" is a pars pro toto name for something that consists of more than just two pieces of glass.

Pars pro toto is a common device in iconography
Iconography

Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Ancient Greek e???? and ??afe?? ....
, where a particular icon can stand for a complete set of characteristics.

The opposite of a pars pro toto is a totum pro parte
Totum pro parte

Totum pro parte is Latin for " the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of synecdoche. When used in a context of language it means that something is named after something of which it is only a part ....
, in which the whole is used to describe a part.

In geography

Certain place names are sometimes used to denote an area greater than that warranted by their strict meaning. Examples of this include:

  • “England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    ” for Great Britain
    Great Britain

    Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
    , the British Isles
    British Isles

    The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands....
     and/or the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
     – see British Isles (terminology)
    British Isles (terminology)

    File:LocationBritishIsles-noborders.PNGThe various terms used to describe the different geographical and political areas of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and surrounding islands are often a source of confusion, partly owing to the similarity between some of the actual words used, but also because they are often used loosely....
  • “Holland
    Holland

    Holland is a name in common usage given to two regions in the western part of Netherlands. The name 'Holland' is also often mistakenly used to refer to the whole of The Netherlands....
    ” for the Netherlands
    Netherlands

    The Netherlands is a country that is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands is located in North-West Europe, and bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east....
     – see Netherlands (terminology)
    Netherlands (terminology)

    The Netherlands is known under various terms both in English language and Netherlands #Other languages. These are used to describe the different overlapping geographical, linguistic and political areas of the Netherlands....
  • “Persia” for Iran
    Iran

    Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
     – see Iran naming dispute
    Iran naming dispute

    Iran has been the subject of a naming dispute in common Western world usage. The two possible names for this country are Iran and Persian Empire; their adjectives being Iranian peoples and Persian people, respectively....
  • “Russia
    Russia

    Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
    ” for the former Soviet Union
    Soviet Union

    The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a Constitution of the Soviet Union socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991.The name is a translation of the , romanization of Russian Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated ????, SSSR....
  • The use of capitals to denote capital regions or even entire countries, e.g. “Canberra
    Canberra

    Canberra is the List of Australian capital cities of Australia. With a population of over 340,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth largest Australian city overall....
    ” for the Australian Capital Territory
    Australian Capital Territory

    The Australian Capital Territory is the Capital districts and territories of the Australia and its smallest States and territories of Australia....


Such usage can cause offense. The people of Scotland
Scotland

conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
, Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland

conventional_long_name = Northern Ireland|native_name= Tuaisceart ?ireannNorlin Airlann|motto =|image_map = Europe location N-IRL2.png...
, for example, would not want to be referred to as part of “England” or as “English”.

See also

  • Totum pro parte
    Totum pro parte

    Totum pro parte is Latin for " the whole for a part"; it refers to a kind of synecdoche. When used in a context of language it means that something is named after something of which it is only a part ....
  • Metonymy
    Metonymy

    Metonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept....