four corners of an instrument

“Four corners of an instrument” is the principle that a document’s meaning should be derived from the document itself, i.e., from its language and all matters encompassed in it. According to this principle, information which does not appear in the document ( extrinsic evidence ) – such as the circumstances surrounding the document or the history of the parties signing it – must not be analyzed or relied upon to ascertain the document’s meaning.

[Last reviewed in September of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team ]

Wex

• COMMERCE
• contracts
• wex definitions