Definition

1. Noun:
   • Electro-acoustic transducer: A thin, flexible disk that vibrates to receive or produce sound waves, as in a microphone or speaker.
   • Contraceptive device: A flexible, dome-shaped cup, typically made of rubber or silicone, that is inserted into the vagina to cover the cervix and prevent pregnancy, often used with spermicide.
   • Anatomical muscle: A large, dome-shaped muscular partition that separates the thoracic cavity (containing the heart and lungs) from the abdominal cavity. Its contraction and relaxation are essential for the mechanical process of breathing.
   • Camera component: A mechanical device within a camera lens, consisting of overlapping blades that form an adjustable opening (aperture) to control the amount of light entering the camera.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The microphone's diaphragm vibrated in response to the sound waves.
  • She was fitted for a contraceptive diaphragm by her doctor.
  • The diaphragm contracts and flattens during inhalation, allowing the lungs to expand.
  • To get a sharper image with a blurred background, he used a wide aperture setting on the lens diaphragm.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a good diaphragm": (In singing or public speaking) To have strong control over one's breathing muscles.
  • Opera singers train for years to develop a strong diaphragm for breath support.

Variants and Related Words

• Diaphragmatic (adj): Pertaining to or involving the diaphragm.
  • The patient experienced diaphragmatic breathing after the surgery.

Synonyms

• Partition: (For the anatomical structure) A dividing structure.
• Aperture stop: (For the camera component) The mechanism that controls the lens opening.

Related Phrases

• Diaphragm pacing: A medical technique that uses electrical stimulation to contract the diaphragm muscle and assist breathing.
  • The patient with a spinal cord injury relies on diaphragm pacing to breathe.

Idioms

• No common idioms are directly based on the word "diaphragm."

Noun

1. electro-acoustic transducer that vibrates to receive or produce sound waves
2. 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
3. (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration
4. a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens
   • the new cameras adjust the diaphragm automatically