The diaphragm is a large, thin muscle under your lungs that helps you breathe by moving up and down. The word can also refer to thin separating layers in devices, such as camera lenses or speakers.
From Greek "diaphragma" meaning "partition" or "wall," from "diaphrassein" (to fence off), formed from "dia-" (through) and "phrassein" (to enclose). It entered English through Latin scientific vocabulary.
Every breath you take is powered mainly by your diaphragm, not your chest muscles. Singers, athletes, and meditators train this hidden sheet of muscle because controlling it means controlling airflow, power, and calm.
'Diaphragm' refers both to a muscle used in breathing and to a contraceptive device historically marketed primarily to women. Access to and control over such contraceptives has been shaped by gendered power dynamics in medicine and law.
Clarify which sense you mean (anatomical muscle vs. contraceptive device) and avoid implying that contraception is solely women's responsibility.
["respiratory diaphragm","contraceptive diaphragm"]
Women health advocates and clinicians played key roles in making diaphragms and other contraceptives safer and more accessible, often in the face of legal and social restrictions.
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