What does diaphragm mean?
Word: Diaphragm
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Diaphragm means the dome-shaped sheet of muscle at the bottom of the chest that tightens and relaxes to help you breathe.
Word origin: From a Greek word meaning a partition or wall, because it separates the chest from the stomach area.
How do you spell diaphragm?
Syllables: di - a - phragm
Tricky part: There is a silent g before the final m, a letter you never hear when the word is said.
Watch out for: diaphragme, diaphrame, diaphram
Memory tip: Paradigm hides the same silent g before its final m: write the g, then the m.
Diaphragm in a sentence
Example 1: When you take a deep breath, your diaphragm moves downwards and your lungs fill with air.
Example 2: Singers train their diaphragm so that they can hold long notes.
Example 3: The doctor drew a curved line on the chart to show us where the diaphragm sits.
Fun Fact
Hiccups happen when the diaphragm suddenly tightens by itself and the vocal cords snap shut a moment later. That quick closing makes the hic sound.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) trachea
b) abdomen
c) oesophagus
d) dyaphragm
Show answer
d) dyaphragm. It starts dia, as in diameter and dialogue.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
gmarphaid
a) diaphragm
b) graphic
c) paragraph
d) diagram
Show answer
a) diaphragm. Diagram has no p or h, graphic needs a c, and paragraph needs two p's and two r's.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
During the yoga session the instructor told us to breathe from the diafragm and keep our shoulders relaxed.
a) breathe
b) relaxed
c) diafragm
d) shoulders
Show answer
c) diafragm. Like physics and photo, this Greek word writes the f sound as ph.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The diaphragm is part of which body system?
a) circulatory
b) digestive
c) respiratory
d) nervous
Show answer
c) respiratory
2. Which organ lies just above the diaphragm?
a) the lungs
b) the kidneys
c) the liver
d) the stomach
Show answer
a) the lungs
