a diagram in which mathematical sets or terms of a categorial statement are represented by overlapping circles within a boundary representing the universal set, so that all possible combinations of the relevant properties are represented by the various distinct areas in the diagram
Word origin
C19: named after John Venn (1834–1923), English logician
Venn diagram in American English
(vɛn)
Ancient Mathematics
a diagram, esp. in symbolic logic, using overlapping circles, often shaded or crosshatched, to show relationships between sets