diaphragm
noun/ˈdaɪəfræm/
/ˈdaɪəfræm/
- (anatomy) the layer of muscle between the lungs and the stomach, used especially to control breathingTopics Bodyc2
- (British English also cap)a rubber or plastic device that a woman places inside her vagina before having sex to prevent sperm from entering the womb and making her pregnant
- any thin piece of material used to separate the parts of a machine, etc.
- (specialist) a thin disc used to turn electronic signals into sound and sound into electronic signals in phones, loudspeakers, etc.
Word Originlate Middle English: from late Latin diaphragma, from Greek, from dia ‘through, apart’ + phragma ‘a fence’.
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diaphragm