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Origin and history of diaphragm

diaphragm(n.)

late 14c., diafragma, in anatomy, "muscular membrane which separates the thorax from the abdominal cavity in mammals," from Late Latin diaphragma, from Greek diaphragma "partition, barrier, muscle which divides the thorax from the abdomen," from diaphrassein "to barricade," from dia "across" (see dia-) + phrassein "to fence or hedge in," which is of uncertain etymology. Beekes suggests it is a substrate word and finds "no convincing correspondence outside Greek."

The native word in the anatomical sense is midriff. From 1650s as "a partition" of any kind, "something which divides or separates;" 1660s in the special sense "thin piece of metal" serving some purpose (as a sound resonator, etc.). Meaning "contraceptive cap" is from 1933. Related: Diaphragmal; diaphragmatic.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to diaphragm

midriff(n.)

Old English midhrif "diaphragm of a human or animal," from mid "mid" (from PIE root *medhyo- "middle") + hrif "belly," from Proto-Germanic *hrefin (source also of Old High German href, Old Frisian hrif, -rith, -rede "belly"). Compare Old Frisian midrede "diaphragm." Watkins has this from PIE root *kwrep- "body, form, appearance;" Boutkan has it from *sker- (1) "to cut."

More or less obsolete after 18c. except in phrase to tickle (one's) midriff "to cause laughter;" the word revived 1941 in fashion usage for "portion of a woman's garment that covers the belly," as a euphemistic avoidance of belly; sense inverted and extended 1970 to a belly-baring style of women's top.

cataphract(n.)

1580s, "scale-like metal armor for the body," from Latin cataphractes "breastplate of iron scales," from Greek kataphraktēs "coat of mail," from kataphraktos "mailed, protected, covered up," from kataphrassein "to fortify," from kata "entirely" (see cata-) + phrassein "to fence around, enclose, defend" (see diaphragm). From 1670s as "a soldier in full armor" (probably from Latin cataphracti "mailed soldiers"). Related: Cataphractic.

dia-

before vowels, di-, word-forming element meaning "through, in different directions, between," also often merely intensive, "thoroughly, entirely," from Greek dia "through; throughout," probably cognate with bi- and related to duo "two" (from PIE root *dwo- "two") with a base sense of "twice."

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    Trends of diaphragm

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    pessary
    c. 1400, pessarie, "a suppository; a medicated plug inserted into an orifice of the body," from Late Latin pessarium, from Greek pessarion "medicated tampon of wool or lint," diminutive of pessos "pessary," earlier "oval stone used in games," a word of uncertain, perhaps Semitic,
    stop
    Middle English stoppen, "obstruct (a passage) with a physical barrier; close up by filling, stuffing, or plugging," from Old English -stoppian (in forstoppian "to stop up, stifle"), a general West Germanic word, cognate with Old Saxon stuppon, West Frisian stopje, Middle Low Germ
    frenetic
    phrenitis (nosos) "frenzy, mental disease, insanity," literally "inflammation of the brain," from phrēn "mind, reason," also "diaphragm...
    abdomen
    Anatomical sense of "part of the mammalian body between the diaphragm and the pelvis" is from 1610s....
    phrase
    uncertain origin; perhaps it is connected with phrenes "wits, senses, sanity," phrēn "the mind, the heart," literally "midriff, diaphragm...
    chest
    The meaning of the English word was extended to "thorax, trunk of the body from the neck to the diaphragm" c. 1400, replacing...
    belly
    and by late 14c. to mean "abdomen of a human or animal, front part of the body between the breast and the groin or the diaphragm...
    disk
    1660s, "round, approximately flat surface," from Latin discus "quoit, discus, disk," from Greek diskos "disk, quoit, platter," related to dikein "to throw" (see discus). The American English preferred spelling; also see disc. From 1803 as "thin, circular plate;" sense of "phonogr
    skid
    c. 1600, "beam, log, or plank on which something rests," especially on which something heavy can be rolled from place to place (1782), of uncertain origin, probably from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse skið "stick of wood" (see ski (n.)). As "a sliding along" from 1890; s
    post
    "a timber of considerable size set upright," from Old English post "pillar, doorpost," and from Old French post "post, upright beam," both from Latin postis "door, post, doorpost," in Medieval Latin "a beam, rod, pole," which is perhaps from Vulgar Latin *por- "forth," a variant

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    Dictionary entries near diaphragm
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