Title: diaphragm
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - diaphragm
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.10604
Status: current

Definition
Dome-shaped muscular membranous partition separating the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity in mammals.

Note
The diaphragm plays a major role in breathing, as its contraction increases the volume of the thorax and so inflates the lungs.

Related Terms
- abdominal cavity: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/10318
- membranous: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/11555

Source
- PAC, 2016, 88, 713. 'Glossary of terms used in developmental and reproductive toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 744 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-1202)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10604/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10604/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/10604/xml

Citation: Citation: 'diaphragm' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.10604
License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-08-04T02:46:14+00:00