diaphragm vs veil

diaphragm

noun
  • In a speaker, the thin, semi-rigid membrane which vibrates to produce sound. 

  • A thin opaque structure with a central aperture, used to limit the passage of light into a camera or similar device. 

  • Any of various membranes or sheets of muscle or ligament which separate one cavity from another. 

  • A floor slab, metal wall panel, roof panel or the like, having a sufficiently large in-plane shear stiffness and sufficient strength to transmit horizontal forces to resisting systems. 

  • A contraceptive device consisting of a flexible cup, used to cover the cervix during intercourse. 

  • A flexible membrane separating two chambers and fixed around its periphery that distends into one or other chamber as the difference in the pressure in the chambers varies. 

  • In mammals, a sheet of muscle separating the thorax from the abdomen, contracted and relaxed in respiration to draw air into and expel air from the lungs; also called thoracic diaphragm. 

  • A permeable or semipermeable membrane. 

verb
  • To reduce lens aperture using an optical diaphragm. 

  • To act as a diaphragm, for example by vibrating. 

veil

noun
  • An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation. 

  • A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom. 

  • A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense. 

  • A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum. 

  • Anything that partially obscures a clear view. 

  • A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head) 

  • The calyptra of mosses. 

  • That which separates the living and the spirit world. 

  • velum (A circular membrane round the cap of a medusa). 

  • Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material. 

verb
  • To dress in, or decorate with, a veil. 

  • To conceal as with a veil. 

How often have the words diaphragm and veil occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )