[in.dul.gence] n (14c) 1: remission of part or all of the temporal and esp. purgatorial punishment that according to Roman Catholicism is due for sins whose eternal punishment has been remitted and whose guilt has been pardoned (as through the sacrament of reconciliation)
2: the act of indulging: the state of being indulgent 3 a: an indulgent act b: an extension of time for payment or performance granted as a favor
4. a: the act of indulging in something; esp: self-indulgence b: something indulged in "walk off gastronomic ~s --Barbara L. Michaels"