Dictionary Definition
diaphragm
Noun
1 a mechanical device in a camera that controls
size of aperture of the lens; "the new cameras adjust the diaphragm
automatically" [syn: stop]
2 (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the
abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration [syn:
midriff]
3 a contraceptive device consisting of a flexible
dome-shaped cup made of rubber or plastic; it is filled with
spermicide and fitted over the uterine cervix [syn: pessary, contraceptive
diaphragm]
4 electro-acoustic transducer that vibrates to
receive or produce sound waves
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From lang=grc.
Pronunciation
- /ˈdaɪəˌfræm/
- /"daI@%fr
Extensive Definition
Diaphragm may refer to any of
the following:
Anatomy
- Thoracic diaphragm, a sheet of muscle separating the thorax and abdomen of mammals
- Urogenital diaphragm, a layer of the pelvis separating deep perineal sac from the upper pelvis
- Pelvic diaphragm, a pelvic muscle consisting of the Levator ani and the Coccygeus
- A number of structures that act as diaphragms, including the iris and the eardrum
- Any dividing structure; for example, in gasteromycetes and bryozoans, with a sense similar to that of septum
Optics and photography
- Diaphragm (optics), a stop in the light path of a lens, having an aperture that regulates the amount of light that passes
- Diaphragm shutter, a type of optical shutter
Acoustics
- Diaphragm (acoustics), a thin, semi-rigid membrane that vibrates to produce or transmit sound waves
Other
- Diaphragm (contraceptive), a small rubber dome placed in the vagina to wall off the cervix, thus preventing sperm from entering
- Diaphragm (mechanical device), a sheet of a semi-flexible material anchored at its periphery
- Diaphragm seal, a membrane that seals an enclosure
- Diaphragm pump, a type of wall
- Diaphragm arch, a type of arch
- Diaphragm wall, a type of wall
- Diaphragm valve, a type of valve
- Diaphragm (structural system), a structural engineering system used to resist lateral loads
diaphragm in German:
Diaphragma
diaphragm in Spanish:
Diafragma
diaphragm in Esperanto:
Diafragmo
diaphragm in French:
Diaphragme
diaphragm in Indonesian:
Diafragma
diaphragm in Hebrew: דיאפרגמה
(פירושונים)
diaphragm in Kazakh:
Диафрагма
diaphragm in Lithuanian:
Diafragma (reikšmės)
diaphragm in Dutch:
Diafragma
diaphragm in Polish:
Przepona
diaphragm in Portuguese:
Diafragma
diaphragm in Russian:
Диафрагма
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
IUD, abdomen, abomasum, acoustical network,
bag, barrier, bay window, beerbelly, belly, birth control device,
brattice, breadbasket, buffer, buffer state, bulkhead, bumper, capacitor speaker,
center, cloison, coaxial speaker,
collision mat, condom,
cone, contraceptive,
contraceptive foam, core,
craw, crop, crossover network, cushion, diameter, dissepiment, dividing line,
dividing wall, division, dynamic speaker,
earphone,
electrodynamic speaker, electromagnetic speaker, electrostatic
speaker, embonpoint,
equator, excited-field
speaker, fender, first
stomach, full-fidelity speaker, gizzard, gullet, gut, headphone, headset, heart, high-fidelity speaker,
high-frequency speaker, honeycomb stomach, horn, interior, interseptum, intrauterine
device, kernel, kishkes, loudspeaker, low-frequency
speaker, manyplies,
mat, maw, mean, median, middle, midmost, midrange speaker,
midriff, midsection, midst, monorange speaker,
moving-coil speaker, nucleus, omasum, oral contraceptive,
pad, panel, paries, partition, party wall,
paunch, permanent magnet
speaker, pessary,
pot, potbelly, potgut, property line, prophylactic, psalterium, pusgut, rennet bag, reticulum, rubber, rumen, second stomach, separation, septulum, septum, shock pad, skin, spare tire, speaker, speaker system, speaker
unit, spermicidal jelly, spermicide, stomach, swagbelly, the pill, thick, thick of things, third
stomach, triaxial speaker, tum-tum, tummy, tweeter, underbelly, ventripotence, voice coil,
waist, waistline, wall, woofer, zone