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Contract vs Instrument - What's the difference?

contract | instrument |

In lang=en terms the difference between contract and instrument

is that contract is a part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts while instrument is a legal document, such as a contract, deed, trust, mortgage, power, indenture, or will.

In transitive terms the difference between contract and instrument

is that contract is to gain or acquire (an illness) while instrument is to devise, conceive, cook up, plan.

As nouns the difference between contract and instrument

is that contract is an agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement while instrument is a device used to produce music.

As verbs the difference between contract and instrument

is that contract is to draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen while instrument is to apply measuring devices.

As an adjective contract

is contracted; affianced; betrothed.

contract

English

(wikipedia contract)

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) contract, from (etyl) contractum, past participle of .

Noun

(en noun)
  • An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-10, volume=408, issue=8848, magazine=(The Economist), author=Lexington
    • , title= Keeping the mighty honest , passage=British journalists shun complete respectability, feeling a duty to be ready to savage the mighty, or rummage through their bins. Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.}}
  • (legal) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
  • (legal) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
  • (informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
  • (bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
    • Hypernyms
    * (agreement that is legally binding) agreement
    Hyponyms
    * (agreement that is legally binding) bailment
    Derived terms
    * contractual * fixed-term contract * contract of employment

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Contracted; affianced; betrothed.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • (obsolete) Not abstract; concrete.
  • * Robert Recorde, , 1557:
    • But now in eche kinde of these, there are certaine nombers named Ab?tracte'': and other called nombers ''Contracte .

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl), from (etyl) contracter, from (etyl) contractum, past participle of . the verb developed after the noun, and originally meant only "draw together"; the sense "make a contract with" developed later.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ambitransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
    • The snail's body contracted into its shell.
    to contract one's sphere of action
  • * Wordsworth
    • Years contracting to a moment.
  • * Dr. H. More
    • In all things desuetude doth contract and narrow our faculties.
  • (grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
    • The word "cannot" is often contracted into "can't".
  • To enter into a contract with. (rfex)
  • To enter into, with mutual obligations; to make a bargain or covenant for.
  • * Hakluyt
    • We have contracted an inviolable amity, peace, and league with the aforesaid queen.
  • * Strype
    • Many persons prohibited by law.
  • To make an agreement or contract; to covenant; to agree; to bargain.
    • to contract for carrying the mail
  • To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
    • She contracted the habit of smoking in her teens.
    to contract a debt
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Each from each contract new strength and light.
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • Such behaviour we contract by having much conversed with persons of high stature.
  • To gain or acquire (an illness).
  • * 1999 , Davidson C. Umeh, Protect Your Life: A Health Handbook for Law Enforcement Professionals (page 69)
    • An officer contracted hepatitis B and died after handling the blood-soaked clothing of a homicide victim
  • To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Thou didst contract and purse thy brow.
  • To betroth; to affiance.
  • * Shakespeare
    • The truth is, she and I, long since contracted , / Are now so sure, that nothing can dissolve us.
    Synonyms
    * (lessen) abate, decrease, lessen, reduce * (shorten) shorten, shrink * catch, get
    Antonyms
    * (lessen) increase, expand * (shorten) grow, lengthen

    instrument

    English

    (wikipedia instrument)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A device used to produce music.
    • The violinist was a master of her instrument .
  • A means or agency for achieving an effect.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1905, author=
    • , title= , chapter=1 citation , passage=“There the cause of death was soon ascertained?; the victim of this daring outrage had been stabbed to death from ear to ear with a long, sharp instrument , in shape like an antique stiletto, which […] was subsequently found under the cushions of the hansom. […]”}}
  • A measuring or displaying device.
    • The instrument detected an increase in radioactivity.
  • A tool, implement used for manipulation or measurement.
    • The dentist set down his tray of instruments'''.'' The scientist recorded the temperature with a thermometer but wished he had a more accurate ' instrument ."
  • (legal) A legal document, such as a contract, deed, trust, mortgage, power, indenture, or will.
    • A bond indenture is the instrument that gives a bond its value.
    Negotiable instruments are the foundation of the debt markets.
  • (figuratively) A person used as a mere tool for achieving a goal.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Or useful serving man and instrument , / To any sovereign state.
  • * Dryden
    • The bold are but the instruments of the wise.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * blunt instrument * debt instrument * derivative instrument * financial instrument * instrumentation * instrumental * instrumentive * measuring instrument * musical instrument * negotiable instrument * writing instrument

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To apply measuring devices.
  • To devise, conceive, cook up, plan.
  • To perform upon an instrument; to prepare for an instrument.
    • a sonata instrumented for orchestra

    Synonyms

    * (to apply measuring devices) measure, supervise * * (to perform on an instrument) play * (to prepare for an instrument) arrange

    See also

    * instrumental

    Anagrams

    * ----