INDULGENCY Meaning and
Definition
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Indulgency, noun:
1. The act or practice of being indulgent; the disposition to appease or gratify desires, appetites, or whims at the expense of discipline, self-control, or rational judgment. It is a tendency to allow oneself or others to enjoy or have what they desire without restraint or moderation.
2. In religious contexts, indulgency refers to the remission or forgiveness of temporal punishment due to sins, granted by the Roman Catholic Church through the administration of indulgences. These indulgences were historically regarded as mitigating the punishment for sins committed, either on earth or in purgatory, allowing believers to expiate their sins and experience spiritual growth or even shorten their time in purgatory.
3. A sense of self-gratification or excessive self-pleasure derived from the act of giving oneself over to specific activities, often related to pleasure, comfort, or indulgence in luxurious experiences or material possessions. It is a state of decadence or self-centeredness characterized by the pursuit of personal enjoyment or satisfaction without caution for potential consequences.
4. An act or gesture of extreme kindness, leniency, or generosity towards oneself or others, often resulting in the granting of lenient treatment, favors, or concessions. It implies an excessive degree of mercy or indulgence shown towards someone perceived as needing or deserving special consideration or treatment.
Common Misspellings for INDULGENCY
- undulgency
- jndulgency
- kndulgency
- ondulgency
- 9ndulgency
- 8ndulgency
- ibdulgency
- imdulgency
- ijdulgency
- ihdulgency
- insulgency
- inxulgency
- inculgency
- infulgency
- inrulgency
- ineulgency
- indylgency
- indhlgency
- indjlgency
Etymology of INDULGENCY
The word "indulgency" does not have a direct etymology. However, it can be broken down into two separate components: "indulgence" and the suffix "-y".
The term "indulgence" comes from the Latin word "indulgentia", meaning "kindness" or "forgiveness". It later evolved in Medieval Latin to signify the Church's granting of remission from the punishment of sins. The concept of indulgences gained prominence during the Middle Ages in Catholic theology and practice.
The suffix "-y" is used in English to form nouns from adjectives, such as "fantasy" from "fantastic" or "foggy" from "fog". Adding "-y" to "indulgence" creates the noun "indulgency", potentially referring to the state or act of indulging or granting indulgences.
