indulgence

 
Pronunciation: /ɪnˈdʌldʒ(ə)ns/

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] the action or fact of indulging: indulgence in self-pity
  • the state or attitude of being indulgent or tolerant: she regarded his affairs with a casual, slightly amused indulgence
  • [count noun] a thing that is indulged in; a luxury: Claire collects shoes—it is her indulgence
  • 2chiefly historical (in the Roman Catholic Church) a grant by the Pope of remission of the temporal punishment in purgatory still due for sins after absolution. The unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners was a widespread abuse during the later Middle Ages.
  • 3an extension of the time in which a bill or debt has to be paid: the notice given granted a final indulgence of four weeks

Origin:

late Middle English: via Old French from Latin indulgentia, from the verb indulgere (see indulge)