Definition of diaphragm Diaphragm

/dajˈʌfɹæˌm/ - [dayufratm] - di•a•phragm

We found 24 definitions of diaphragm from 8 different sources.

What does diaphragm mean?

Noun Plural: diaphragms
diaphragm - (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration
		midriff
		muscle system, muscular structure, musculature the muscular system of an organism
		tissue layer, membrane a thin pliable sheet of material
		torso, trunk, body the body excluding the head and neck and limbs; "they moved their arms and legs and bodies"
diaphragm - a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens; "the new cameras adjust the diaphragm automatically"
		stop
		mechanical device mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles
		photographic camera, camera equipment for taking photographs (usually consisting of a lightproof box with a lens at one end and light-sensitive film at the other)
diaphragm - electro-acoustic transducer that vibrates to receive or produce sound waves
		disc, disk a flat circular plate
diaphragm - 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
		pessary, contraceptive diaphragm

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diaphragm (Noun)
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; also called thoracic diaphragm.
diaphragm (Noun)
Any of various membranes or sheets of muscle or ligament which separate one cavity from another.
diaphragm (Noun)
A contraceptive device consisting of a flexible cup, used to cover the cervix during intercourse.
diaphragm (Noun)
A flexible membrane separating two chambers and fixed around its periphery that distends into one or other chamber depending on the as the difference in the pressure in the chambers varies.
diaphragm (Noun)
In a speaker, the thin, semi-rigid membrane which vibrates to produce sound.
diaphragm (Noun)
A thin opaque structure with a central aperture, used to limit the passage of light into a camera or similar device.
diaphragm (Noun)
A permeable or semipermeable membrane.
diaphragm (Noun)
A floor slab, metal wall panel, roof panel or the like, havig a sufficiently large in-plane shear stiffness and sufficient strength to transmit horizontal forces to resisting systems.
diaphragm (Verb)
To reduce lens aperture using an optical diaphragm.
diaphragm (Verb)
To act as a diaphragm, for example by vibrating.

diaphragm (n.)
A dividing membrane or thin partition, commonly with an opening through it.
diaphragm (n.)
The muscular and tendinous partition separating the cavity of the chest from that of the abdomen; the midriff.
diaphragm (n.)
A calcareous plate which divides the cavity of certain shells into two parts.
diaphragm (n.)
A plate with an opening, which is generally circular, used in instruments to cut off marginal portions of a beam of light, as at the focus of a telescope.
diaphragm (n.)
A partition in any compartment, for various purposes.

diaphragm
An opening in the lightpath of a lens or objective that can regulate the amount of light that passes.

diaphragm
dī′a-fram, n. a thin partition or dividing membrane: the midriff, a structure separating the chest from the abdomen: a metal plate with a central hole, for cutting off side-rays in a camera, &c.—adjs. Diaphragmat′ic, Diaphrag′mal.—n. Diaphragmatī′tis, inflammation of the diaphragm. [Gr. diaphragma—dia, across, phragnynai, to fence.]

diaphragm
(a) In telephones and microphones a disc of iron thrown into motion by sound waves or by electric impulses, according to whether it acts as the diaphragm of a transmitter or receiver. It is generally a plate of japanned iron such as used in making ferrotype photographs. (See Telephone and Microphone.)
(b) A porous diaphragm is often used in electric decomposition cells and in batteries. The porous cup represents the latter use.
enamel paint.]
Dielectric. A non-conductor; a substance, the different parts of which may, after an electric disturbance, remain, without any process of readjustment, and for an indefinite period of time, at potentials differing to any extent (Daniell). There is no perfect dielectric. The term dielectric is generally only used when an insulator acts to permit induction to take place through it, like the glass of a Leyden jar.