diff --git a/lib/Trait.js b/lib/Trait.js
index 209decf..cff6c07 100644
--- a/lib/Trait.js
+++ b/lib/Trait.js
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ Trait.extend = function( dfn )
 
     TraitType.__trait = true;
     TraitType.__acls  = tclass;
-    TraitType.__ccls  = createConcrete( tclass );
+    TraitType.__ccls  = null;
 
     // traits are not permitted to define constructors
     if ( tclass.___$$methods$$['public'].__construct !== undefined )
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ function mixin( trait, dfn )
         methods = acls.___$$methods$$;
 
     // retrieve the private member name that will contain this trait object
-    var iname = addTraitInst( trait.__ccls, dfn );
+    var iname = addTraitInst( trait, dfn );
 
     mixMethods( methods['public'], dfn, 'public', iname );
     mixMethods( methods['protected'], dfn, 'protected', iname );
@@ -177,19 +177,19 @@ function mixMethods( src, dest, vis, iname )
  * Here, `tc' and `to' are understood to be, respectively, ``trait class''
  * and ``trait object''.
  *
- * @param  {Class}   C    concrete trait class
+ * @param  {Class}   T    trait
  * @param  {Object}  dfn  definition object of class being mixed into
  *
  * @return  {string}  private member into which C instance shall be stored
  */
-function addTraitInst( C, dfn )
+function addTraitInst( T, dfn )
 {
     var tc    = ( dfn.___$$tc$$ = ( dfn.___$$tc$$ || [] ) ),
         iname = '___$to$' + tc.length;
 
     // the trait object array will contain two values: the destination field
-    // and the class to instantiate
-    tc.push( [ iname, C ] );
+    // and the trait to instantiate
+    tc.push( [ iname, T ] );
 
     // we must also add the private field to the definition object to
     // support the object assignment indicated by TC
@@ -213,6 +213,9 @@ function addTraitInst( C, dfn )
  * resulting objects assigned to their rsepective pre-determined field
  * names.
  *
+ * This will lazily create the concrete trait class if it does not already
+ * exist, which saves work if the trait is never used.
+ *
  * @return  {undefined}
  */
 function tctor()
@@ -223,7 +226,8 @@ function tctor()
     for ( var t in tc )
     {
         var f = tc[ t ][ 0 ],
-            C = tc[ t ][ 1 ];
+            T = tc[ t ][ 1 ],
+            C = T.__ccls || ( T.__ccls = createConcrete( T.__acls ) );
 
         // TODO: pass protected visibility object once we create
         // trait class ctors