diaphragm
dia·phragm [diaphragm diaphragms] BrE [ˈdaɪəfræm] NAmE [ˈdaɪəfræm] noun
1. (anatomy)the layer of muscle between the lungs and the stomach, used especially to control breathing
2. (BrE 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
3. any thin piece of material used to separate the parts of a machine, etc.
4. (technical)a thin disc used to turn electronic signals into sound and sound into electronic signals in telephones, ↑loudspeakers, etc.
See also: ↑cap
Word Origin:
late Middle English: from late Latin diaphragma, from Greek, from dia ‘through, apart’ + phragma ‘a fence’.
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