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indulgencia

indulgence

noun een-dool-HEN-syah Rare

Origin: Latin indulgentia (from indulgere, 'to be kind to')

Also means

leniency

Usage Note

Indulgencia has both a general sense (tolerance, leniency towards faults) and a specific Catholic theological sense: an indulgence granted by the Church remitting temporal punishment for sins. The historical abuse of selling indulgences (venta de indulgencias) was a key trigger for the Protestant Reformation. The adjective is indulgente.

Examples

"El juez mostró indulgencia con el acusado joven."

Natural Translation

The judge showed indulgence towards the young defendant.

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