1.
pronoun
A grammatical term for a word that takes the place of a noun, such as これ, それ, 彼, 私.
「彼」は代名詞です。
'Kare' is a pronoun.
日本語の代名詞は英語ほど頻繁に使われない。
Pronouns in Japanese are not used as frequently as in English.
日本語には人称代名詞が数多くあり、場面によって使い分ける。
Japanese has many personal pronouns, and they are used differently depending on the situation.
2.
byword, synonym, epitome
Something so closely associated with a quality or concept that it serves as a representative example. Used figuratively to mean "the very definition of" something.
富士山は日本の代名詞だ。
Mount Fuji is synonymous with Japan.
カレーは国民食の代名詞とも言える。
Curry could be called the epitome of a national dish.
あの選手は努力の代名詞として知られている。
That athlete is known as the very definition of hard work.
Sense 1 is the grammatical term. Sense 2 is a common figurative usage meaning "the epitome of" or "synonymous with."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 人称代名詞 (personal pronoun)
- 指示代名詞 (demonstrative pronoun)
- 〜の代名詞 (byword for ~, synonym for ~)
The figurative sense 2 is very common in journalism and everyday speech. The pattern 〜の代名詞 means something is so representative of a concept that merely mentioning it evokes that concept.