χρονοτριβέω
chronotribéō
G5551 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To spend time; more specifically, to waste, delay, or squander time, to tarry unnecessarily. Carries the sense of using up or letting time pass without productive result, often implying procrastination or inefficiency. In some contexts, can also simply mean to take time (whether needfully or not), but with a nuance toward dilatoriness or unnecessary delay.
Semantic Range
to delay, to procrastinate, to tarry, to waste time, to use up time, to linger unnecessarily
Root / Etymology
Formed from χρόνος (time) and the verb stem τριβ- (‘to rub, wear away, waste’). Literally ‘to waste or wear away time’. The compound is transparent in meaning, with τριβέω found independently with the senses ‘to rub’, ‘to grind down’, and figuratively ‘to spend/waste’.
Historical & Contextual Notes
This rare compound does not appear in extant classical Greek literature and is cited sparsely in later Koine sources; it is most notably found in Acts 24:25 in the New Testament, describing Felix’s deferral of a decision. The usage there suggests a meaning shaded by hesitation or procrastination, not merely passing time but wasting time or putting off action. In general Koine, τριβέω by itself could have both literal and more idiomatic, time-related meanings (compare αὐτοῦ καιρὸν τριβήσει: ‘he will waste time there’). The nuance of procrastination is context-dependent. Later translation traditions sometimes render this as ‘to procrastinate’, ‘to delay’, or ‘to spend time’, but the nuance of wastefulness or intentional deferment (not mere neutral use of time) is significant for correct interpretation. There is no equivalent in LXX or earlier Hellenistic Greek, reinforcing its rarity.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from a presumed compound of χρόνος and the base of τρίβος; to be a time-wearer, i.e. to procrastinate (linger):--spend time.
Root Family
χρονοτριβέω (chronotribeō) — to spend time, to waste time, to wear away time, to delay
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5551-01 |
χρονοτριβῆσαι | chronotribesai | V AOR ACT INF |
to spend time | to waste time | to spend time | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5551-01 |
Acts 20:16 | χρονοτριβῆσαι | chronotribesai | V AOR ACT INF |
to spend time | to waste time | to spend time |