ع ب ثʿ-b-th
(س) عَبِثَ يَعْبَثُ عَبَثًاʿabitha yaʿbathu ʿabathan: to do something purposeless and futile; to play about. ﴿اَتَبْنُوْنَ بِكُلِّ رِيْعٍ اٰيَةً تَعْبَثُوْنَ﴾ (Ash-Shuʿarāʾ 26:128)
عَبَثٌʿabath (also a noun, ism dhāt): a useless act, an idle action; in the Quran عَبَثًاʿabathan occurs as a circumstantial accusative (ḥāl) or a causative object (mafʿūl lah). ﴿اَفَحَسِبْتُمْ اَنَّمَا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ عَبَثًا﴾ (Al-Muʾminūn 23:115)