Euler diagram

Meaning

Noun

• A diagram representing some sets by contours of closed shapes, typically circles and ellipses, and indicating the relationships between the sets: (1) by overlapping the shapes to show that the corresponding sets have a non-empty intersection, (2) by enclosing one shape entirely within another to show that the former set is a subset of the latter, and/or (3) by showing completely separate shapes to show that neither of these two aforementioned facts applies to the corresponding sets. Also — and unlike in a Venn diagram — there is no restriction on the total number of connected regions (whether simple or not) into which the space of the diagram is split by the criss-crossing contours.

Origin

• Named after Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), Swiss mathematician and physicist.