Diaphragm

Quick meaning: Diaphragm is a noun meaning (anatomy) Any of various membranes or sheets of muscle or ligament which separate one cavity from another.

Meaning

(anatomy) Any of various membranes or sheets of muscle or ligament which separate one cavity from another.

More Meanings

1. A contraceptive device consisting of a flexible cup, used to cover the cervix during intercourse.
2. (acoustics) In a speaker, the thin, semi-rigid membrane which vibrates to produce sound.
3. (optics, photography) A thin opaque structure with a central aperture, used to limit the passage of light into a camera or similar device.
4. (chemistry) A permeable or semipermeable membrane.
5. (anatomy) In mammals, a sheet of muscle separating the thorax from the abdomen, contracted and relaxed in respiration to draw air into and expel air from the lungs.
6. (mechanics) A flexible membrane separating two chambers and fixed around its periphery that distends into one or other chamber as the difference in the pressure in the chambers varies.
7. (construction) A floor slab, metal wall panel, roof panel or the like, having a sufficiently large in-plane shear stiffness and sufficient strength to transmit horizontal forces to resisting systems.

Example Sentences

thoracic diaphragm

cervical diaphragm

acoustic diaphragm

pulmonary diaphragm

Word Forms

• diaphragms
• diaphragming
• diaphragmed

Synonyms for diaphragm

Depending on context, synonyms include stop, pessary, midriff.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include midriff, pessary, stop, septum, membrane, orifice.

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