indulgence
/ɪnˈdʌldʒəns/
noun
Origin
Latin
indulgentia — complaisance, fondness, remission
Overview
Meaning Now
- The action or fact of indulging; the state of being lenient or overly generous.
- A thing that is indulged in; a luxury or self-gratification.
- In the Roman Catholic Church, a remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.
Literal older meaning
kindness, favor, or yielding
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
indulgence
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term is famously associated with the 'sale of indulgences' in the late Middle Ages, a practice where the Church offered remission of penance in exchange for donations, which became a significant catalyst for the Protestant Reformation.
Evolution
- Classical Latin
indulgentia
“favor, kindness”
Derived from indulgere (to be kind/yield).
- Late Latin
indulgentia
“remission of punishment/sin”
Ecclesiastical context.
- Middle English
indulgence
“favor, pardon”
Loan from Old French.
- Modern English
indulgence
“self-gratification or leniency”
General usage expansion.
Connections
Word parts
in-
prefix
towards
dulg
root
to be kind or yielding (related to dulcis 'sweet')
-ence
suffix
state or quality of
Related across languages
French
indulgence
Spanish
indulgencia
indulgence
Related words
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.