Indulgence
/ɪnˈdʌl.dʒəns/noun
Permission or leniency granted to someone, especially the act of allowing oneself a pleasure.
Did you know?In medieval Christianity, an indulgence was a remission of temporal punishment for sin, so the word became tied to the eerie idea that guilt itself could be measured, reduced, and spiritually negotiated.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leig-
“to bend, yield”
Latin
Latin
indulgēre
“to yield to, be lenient toward, be kind to”
Late Latin
Latin
indulgentia
“kindness, favor, leniency”
Old French
Old French
indulgence
“favor, remission, leniency”
Middle English
English
indulgence
“leniency, forgiveness; later, ecclesiastical remission of punishment”
Modern English
English
indulgence
“the act of indulging; a luxury or pleasure allowed to oneself”
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