Metonymical

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to a linguistic technique where a word representing one concept is exchanged for a word denoting something intimately connected to it in meaning or association
2. Relating to a figure of speech in which one term is used to represent another that is closely linked to it, often seen in literary or rhetorical contexts
3. Concerning the use of a word or phrase to represent something else by association or close connection

Etymology: "Metonymical" is simply "metonym" with the adjectival ending "-ical" added, and the stacking of suffixes is the interesting part. The base word "metonym" comes from Greek "metōnymia", meaning a change of name, formed from "meta" (change) and "onoma" (name). The Greek noun passed into English as "metonymy" and "metonym" came from the same stem, so "metonymical" is a second-generation adjective built on a word that was already a learned term. The suffix does the work here. "-ic" came into English from Latin "-icus" by way of Old French, while "-al" came from Latin "-ālis", and English stacked the two into "-ical" in Middle English. That double ending is why words like "physical" and "historical" sound so alike: each carries the same pair of Latin adjective-makers. Many scholarly adjectives in English took this path, so "metonymical" follows a well-worn pattern rather than an exception.

Synonyms: metonymic, figurative, symbolic, representational, allusive

Antonyms: literal, explicit, direct, unambiguous, straightforward