diaphragm
Anatomy.
a muscular, membranous or ligamentous wall separating two cavities or limiting a cavity.
the partition separating the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity in mammals.
Physical Chemistry.
a porous plate separating two liquids, as in a galvanic cell.
a semipermeable membrane.
a thin disk that vibrates when receiving or producing sound waves, as in a telephone, microphone, speaker, or the like.
Also called pessary. a thin, dome-shaped device, usually of rubber, for wearing over the uterine cervix during sexual intercourse to prevent conception.
a plate with a hole in the center or a ring that is placed on the axis of an optical instrument, as a camera, and that controls the amount of light entering the instrument.
a plate or web for stiffening metal-framed constructions.
to furnish with a diaphragm.
to reduce the aperture of (a lens, camera, etc.) by means of a diaphragm.
Origin of diaphragm
1Words Nearby diaphragm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use diaphragm in a sentence
Inside the capsule is a diaphragm, a thin membrane that vibrates when it comes in contact with sound waves, initiating the conversion process.
The shape of things to come: Different types of microphones and when to use them | Mike Levine | August 26, 2021 | Popular-ScienceInside headphones are magnets and moveable diaphragms that are easy to misalign.
The best headphone stands for audiophiles, gamers, and anyone with a desk | Irena Collaku | July 23, 2021 | Popular-ScienceCauses can range from something as small as swallowing too much air while chewing gum to something as serious as a tumor — and longer cases can be connected to damage or irritation to the nerves near the diaphragm.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized after 10 days of hiccups | Sammy Westfall | July 14, 2021 | Washington PostVisual timeline shows Bolsonaro flouted health recommendations before contracting coronavirus — and afterHiccups are involuntary contractions of your diaphragm — a dome-shaped muscle between your chest and abdomen.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized after 10 days of hiccups | Sammy Westfall | July 14, 2021 | Washington PostBowie suffered a ruptured thoracic diaphragm from a medical implant in 2016, and he has required a constant stream of oxygen to stay alive since.
In Texas, a former big league pitcher needs an oxygen machine to live. That requires power. | Dave Sheinin | February 18, 2021 | Washington Post
The blade pierced his liver and diaphragm, missing his heart and aorta by a fraction of an inch.
Thank God the Murrysville School Attack Wasn’t Guns | Michael Daly | April 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAfter Mrs. Butterfield retreats upstairs, she goes to have sex with her husband, only to realize that Jade has her diaphragm.
What the New ‘Endless Love’s Fireplace Sex Scene Is Missing | Sujay Kumar | February 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTCould prescription birth control—whether the pill, an IUD, or a diaphragm—soon be free of cost for most American women?
Lane put his hand into the abdominal incision and squeezed the heart through the diaphragm.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyThe diaphragm is peculiar in that it is somewhat circular in shape and is more or less tendinous or sinew-like in the middle.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking | Wesley MillsWere the diaphragm to contract moderately the ribs would be but little drawn in, even if no muscles acted as antagonists.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking | Wesley MillsThe diaphragm being concave below toward the abdomen, the contents of this cavity fit closely to its under surface.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking | Wesley MillsThe chest is enlarged by the muscles of inspiration, the principal of which is the diaphragm or midriff.
Voice Production in Singing and Speaking | Wesley Mills
British Dictionary definitions for diaphragm
/ (ˈdaɪəˌfræm) /
anatomy any separating membrane, esp the dome-shaped muscular partition that separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities in mammals: Related adjective: phrenic
a circular rubber or plastic contraceptive membrane placed over the mouth of the uterine cervix before copulation to prevent entrance of sperm
any thin dividing membrane
Also called: stop a disc with a fixed or adjustable aperture to control the amount of light or other radiation entering an optical instrument, such as a camera
a thin disc that vibrates when receiving or producing sound waves, used to convert sound signals to electrical signals or vice versa in telephones, etc
chem
a porous plate or cylinder dividing an electrolytic cell, used to permit the passage of ions and prevent the mixing of products formed at the electrodes
a semipermeable membrane used to separate two solutions in osmosis
botany a transverse plate of cells that occurs in the stems of certain aquatic plants
Origin of diaphragm
1Derived forms of diaphragm
- diaphragmatic (ˌdaɪəfræɡˈmætɪk), adjective
- diaphragmatically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for diaphragm
[ dī′ə-frăm′ ]
The large muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity in mammals and is the principal muscle of respiration. As the diaphragm contracts and moves downward, the lungs expand and air moves into them. As the diaphragm relaxes and moves upward, the lungs contract and air is forced out of them.
A thin, flexible disk, especially in a microphone or telephone receiver, that vibrates in response to sound waves to produce electrical signals, or that vibrates in response to electrical signals to produce sound waves.
A contraceptive device consisting of a thin flexible disk, usually made of rubber, that is designed to cover the cervix of the uterus to prevent the entry of sperm during sexual intercourse.
An optical device in a camera or telescope that regulates the amount of light that enters the lens or optical system. The diaphragm consists of a disk with a circular opening of variable diameter.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for diaphragm
[ (deye-uh-fram) ]
A dome-shaped structure made up of muscle and connective tissue that separates the abdominal cavity from the thorax and functions in respiration. By movement of the diaphragm, air is either drawn into the lungs or forced out of them.
Notes for diaphragm
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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