merismus

Definitions

noun rhetoric A metonymic term to describe a type of synecdoche in which two parts of a thing, perhaps contrasting or complementary parts, are made to stand for the whole.

From Ancient Greek μερισμός (merismos, "a dividing"), derived from the Greek verb μερίζω (merizō, "to divide into parts").

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Hm. Some terms from classical rhetoric involving the canon of arrangement: dispositio taxis enumeratio merismus catacosmesis chiasmus digressio epiphonema (my personal favorite) complexio

Names are important « Dyepot, Teapot 2006
The zealous Poet writing in prayse of the maiden Queene would not seeme to wrap vp all her most excellent parts in a few words them entierly comprehending, but did it by a distributor or _merismus_ in the negatiue for the better grace, thus.

The Arte of English Poesie George Puttenham
The zealous Poet writing in prayse of the maiden Queene would not seeme to wrap vp all her most excellent parts in a few words them entierly comprehending, but did it by a distributor or merismus in the negatiue for the better grace, thus.

The Arte of English Poesie 1569