Pars pro toto
Part of the whole
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Part of the whole
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.
Certain place names are sometimes used to denote an area greater than that warranted by their strict meaning. Examples of this include:
Such usage can cause offence. The people of Scotland and Wales, for example, do not take kindly to the use of "England" to refer to Great Britain as a whole. Inhabitants of the Netherlands who live in provinces other than North or South Holland may feel excluded when "Holland" is used to describe their country.
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