Thursday, July 23, 2009

synecdochically speaking

OK, so I have been totally captured by Erin McKean, dictionary nerd extraordinaire, and basically, book work cutie. In said capturing, she introduced me to the word synecdochically. What a word. Basically no time in my life will I ever use the word, but I do have to admit I have a little bit of a crush on this word.

synecdochically
Pronunciation:
\sə-ˈnek-də-(ˌ)kē\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Latin, from Greek synekdochē, from syn- + ekdochē sense, interpretation, from ekdechesthai to receive, understand, from ex from + dechesthai to receive; akin to Greek dokein to seem good — more at ex-, decent
Date:
15th century
: a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (as society for high society), the species for the genus (as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (as boards for stage)

Also a fan of erinaceous.

Check out Erin at http://www.ted.com/talks/erin_mckean_redefines_the_dictionary.html.

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